His Word Today: Saint Ignatius of Loyola

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the liturgical Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).  The most accurate records state that he was born on or about 23 October 1491in the municipality of Azpeitia at the castle of Loyola in today's Gipuzkoa, Basque Country in Spain. He was baptized Íñigo, after Saint Enecus (Innicus) (Basque: Eneko; Spanish: Íñigo) Abbot of Oña, a Basque medieval, affectionate name meaning My little one. It is not clear when he began using the Latin name Ignatius instead of his baptismal name Íñigo.

As a young man Íñigo had a great love for military exercises as well as a tremendous desire for fame. He framed his life around the stories of El Cid, the knights of Camelot, and the Song of Roland. He joined the army at seventeen, and according to one biographer, he strutted about with his cape slinging open to reveal his tight-fitting hose and boots; a sword and dagger at his waist.

In 1509, at the age of 18, Íñigo took up arms for Antonio Manrique de Lara, Duke of Nájera. His diplomacy and leadership qualities earned him the title servant of the court, which made him very useful to the Duke. Under the Duke's leadership, Íñigo participated in many battles without injury, but at the Battle of Pamplona in 1521 he was gravely injured when a French-Navarrese expedition force stormed the fortress of Pamplona on May 20, 1521. A cannonball hit him in the legs, wounding his right leg and fracturing the left in multiple places. Íñigo was returned to his father's castle in Loyola, where he underwent several surgical operations to repair his legs, having the bones set and then rebroken. In the end these operations left one leg shorter than the other.

While recovering from surgery, Íñigo underwent a spiritual conversion which led to his experiencing a call to religious life. Hospitals in those days were run by religious orders, and the reading material available to bedridden patient tended to be selected from scripture or devotional literature. This is how Íñigo came to read a series of religious texts on the life of Jesus and on the lives of the saints.

The religious work which most particularly struck him was the De Vita Christi of Ludolph of Saxony. This book would influence his whole life, inspiring him to devote himself to God and follow the example of Francis of Assisi and other great monks. It also inspired his method of meditation, since Ludolph proposes that the reader place himself mentally at the scene of the Gospel story, visualizing the crib at the Nativity, etc. This type of meditation, known as Simple Contemplation, was the basis for the method that St. Ignatius would promote in his Spiritual Exercises.

After he had recovered sufficiently to walk again, Íñigo resolved to begin a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to kiss the earth where our Lord had walked, and to do stricter penances. He thought that his plan was confirmed by a vision of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus he experienced one night, which resulted in much consolation to him. In March 1522, he visited the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat. There, he carefully examined his past sins, confessed, gave his fine clothes to the poor he met, wore a garment of sack-cloth, then hung his sword and dagger at the Virgin's altar during an overnight vigil at the shrine.

From Montserrat he walked on to the nearby town of Manresa (Catalonia), where he lived for about a year, begging for his keep, and then eventually doing chores at a local hospital in exchange for food and lodging. For several months he spent much of his time praying in a cave nearby where he practiced rigorous asceticism, praying for seven hours a day, and formulating the fundamentals of his Spiritual Exercises.

In 1539, with Saint Peter Faber and Saint Francis Xavier, Ignatius formed the Society of Jesus, which was approved in 1540 by Pope Paul III. Ignatius was chosen as the first Superior General of the order and invested with the title of Father General by the Jesuits.

Ignatius sent his companions as missionaries around Europe to create schools, colleges, and seminaries. Juan de Vega, the ambassador of Charles V at Rome, met Ignatius there. Esteeming Ignatius and the Jesuits, when Vega was appointed Viceroy of Sicily, he brought Jesuits with him. A Jesuit college was opened at Messina, which proved a success, and its rules and methods were afterwards copied in other colleges.

In 1548 Ignatius was briefly brought before the Roman Inquisition for examination of his book of Spiritual Exercises. But he was released and the book was finally given papal permission to be printed. It was published in a format such that the exercises were designed to be carried out over a period of 28–30 days.

Ignatius died in Rome on 31 July 1556, as a result of the Roman Fever, a severe case of malaria that recurred in Rome, Italy, at different points in history. An autopsy revealed that he also had several kidney and bladder stones, a probable cause of the abdominal pains he suffered from later in life. At this time he was placed in a wooden shrine, his body was then covered with his priestly garments. On 1 August the shrine was then buried in the small Maria della Strada Church. In 1568 that church was pulled down and replaced with the Church of the Gesù. Saint Ignatius was put into a new coffin and reinterred in the new church.

Ignatius was beatified by Pope Paul V on 27 July 1609, and canonized by Pope Gregory XV on 12 March 1622.  May this holy man who is well known in the Church for the art of discernment help us to listen closely for the guidance that the Lord offers to us, and to have the courage to act according to His will.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Choices

Good morning everyone,

Last week, the Bishops of Canada issued a pastoral letter to mark the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's encyclical (a circular letter of sorts issued by the Pope in which he outlines some aspect of Catholic doctrine) concerning the transmission of human life.  At the time of its publication, there were many people who did not agree with its teachings, yet the document clearly outlines the Church's stance on the sacredness of human life, and this wisdom has been repeated and further clarified by other popes who have come afterwards too.

The prophet Jeremiah speaks today of another time in history when people did not heed the wisdom of God, preferring to abide by their own prideful thoughts.  Our God has always wanted to share his heart with us, and for us to share our hearts with him (cf Jer 13:11) but our ancestors in faith did not always listen to the voice of God.  Even today, the choice not to listen - to God or to others who love us and want the best for us - often leads to a breakdown in relationships: something that can cause great pain and grief.

Have our words or actions been the cause of such weakening of relationships?  If so, it's not too late to change our ways, but we must at least have the desire to make things better.  Let us pray for the wisdom we need in order to make good choices, decisions that are not focused on our own wants and desires, but rather on the good of others.  Our own happiness will follow as a consequence.

Have a great day.

There is always more

We hear about two miracles in today’s scripture passages.  First, the second book of Kings relates the story of food that is presented to Elisha: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain (2 Kings 4:42) ... and in the gospel account, when Jesus asked the disciples to feed the crowds, Andrew pointed out a boy ... who had five barley loaves and two fish (Jn 6:9).  In both cases, the humble gifts that were presented by human hands were miraculously multiplied in order to feed vast crowds of people.

This miracle is repeated every week, right here at the Eucharistic table, and it is also repeated every day in the lives of God’s people.  Whenever we offer ourselves, whenever we use our talents to share what we have with those in need, God takes our humble gifts and multiplies their effect in the lives of those who receive them.

Sometimes the gifts we share can be tangible, and at other times, they are not, but every gift – including the example we set by the lives we lead – can become a source of nourishment for the faith life of others.

This past week, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae (July 25, 1968) regarding the transmission of human life, the Bishops of Canada published a Pastoral Letter entitled The Joy of Married Love.  This Letter presents the teaching of Pope Paul’s encyclical in an accessible and uplifting style which is aimed at inspiring and providing encouragement to married couples.  The Bishops also acknowledge the teachings of Pope John Paul II and the newest insights, perspectives and reflections on the gift of marriage from Pope Francis.

We may not always be aware of the gifts that God has offered to us, or perhaps we choose not to recognize them.  Yet, regardless of whether or not we perceive the blessings we receive as gifts freely given to nourish us as we continue our journey through life, God will always continue to make them available to us, until one day we come to realize the true value of all that we have received.

In the meanwhile, Saint Paul urges us today to lead lives worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Eph 4:1).  As we begin to discover and to appreciate the value of human love as it is lived out in our midst, as we come to value more and more the precious gift of the special food that God offers to us in the Eucharist, we will become more and more humbled by the great privilege that we have been afforded.  From the author of these gifts, we will continue to learn gentleness and patience, bearing with one another in love and making every effort to maintain unity in the Spirit and the bond of peace (Eph 4:2-3).

And as we continue to use these gifts to strengthen the lives of those who are in need, we will come to realize that the meagre offerings we have contributed are multiplied by God’s grace, and the result is a great abundance of blessings.

His Word Today: Reform

Good morning everyone,

At first, some of us might think that our relationships with God are well in order.  After all, we are kind to others, we try to help whenever we can ... but then along comes Jeremiah and his warnings.  In today's first reading, he stands at the gate of the house of the Lord and calls out to all those who pass by: ... Reform your ways and your deeds (Jer 7:2-3).

Even those of us who are priests and deacons can fall out of love.  If we do, we can continue to do the things we do but we will always be missing something; God will continue to work through us but we ourselves will at times feel empty.  We all need to fall in love over and over again with the One who has called us, and this begins with a simple prayer for help.  It can be as simple as Lord, help me to fall in love again!

We can pray this prayer for ourselves, or we can pray this prayer for someone we love ... and we can count on the fact that if we ask, the Lord will answer.  He will show us his face, in the poor, the needy, the sick ... all those who need our help, all those who need to know that he is near.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Shepherds

Good morning everyone,

The prophet Jeremiah reminds us today that the Lord has promised to care for his people (that's us) ... to appoint shepherds for us after his own heart (Jer 3:15).  The image of a shepherd appears repeatedly in the gospel in order to remind us that our God cares for us in the same way as a shepherd cares for his (or her) sheep.

Shepherds, and others who dedicate their lives to caring for animals, truly get to know the ones they care for - they are aware of their behaviours and moods, the ones who cause trouble, the ones who are loyal, the ones who go out of their way to care for others ...  This is the same kind of relationship that God seeks to cultivate with us, and the same kind of relationship that he hopes we will develop with him.  Out of a deep sense of love and caring for us, he promises always to provide shepherds for us and to teach them how to think and act like he does.

Those of us who have already encountered the tender heart of God can willingly testify to the gentle way in which he calls us to spend time in his presence; the infinite patience he always has with us: waiting for us to turn to him; the quiet whispers he sends our way at times to remind us that he is always present to us, constantly calling to us.

The challenge for us today is that there are so many other voices calling out for attention: some of which are shouting, others which are presenting all kinds of temptations.  In the midst of such noise, it seems increasingly difficult for us to listen for the whispers ... and eventually we run the risk of the shepherd's voice being drowned out completely, the result being that we end up wandering aimlessly.

Today, let us make some space in our lives so that we can listen for the whispers of the shepherd who is calling out to us, searching for us, seeking us out.  Let us ask him to come in search of us, and when he finds us, let us ask him to pick us up out of our wildernesses, to envelop us in his loving arms and to bring us home.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saints Joachim and Anne

The Education of Mary, Diego Velázquez

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the liturgical Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The story of these holy people is not found in the Bible but rather in the apocryphal gospel of James: one of the other ancient documents that recounts details about the life of Jesus.

According to tradition, Saint Anne was born in Bethlehem, and married Joachim of Nazareth, both descendants of David. According to James' account, Joachim is described as a rich and pious man, who regularly gave to the poor and to the synagogue at Sepphoris. Tradition has it that the parents of the Blessed Virgin, who, apparently, first lived in Galilee, came later on to settle in Jerusalem. However, the high priest rejected Joachim and his sacrifice, as their childlessness was interpreted as a sign of divine displeasure. Joachim consequently withdrew to the desert where he fasted and did penance for forty days. Angels then appeared to both Joachim and Anne to promise them a child. Joachim later returned to Jerusalem and embraced Anne at the city gate. There was ancient belief that a child born of an elderly mother who had given up hope of having offspring was destined for great things. Parallels occur in the Old Testament in the case of Hannah, mother of Samuel (1 Sam 1:1-23).

In some Eastern Churches, Saint Joachim's liturgical Memorial is celebrated on a different day, but since 1969, the Roman Catholic Church has celebrated this day as the Memorial of both parents of the Blessed Virgin.

May the prayer of these holy people - the grandparents of Jesus - help us to always come to Jesus, the source of living waters (Jer 2:13), even when we find it most difficult to believe that there is good news to be heard, and to trust that He is at work in and around us, doing wonderful things.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint James the Apostle

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast day of Saint James, the son of Zebedee, one of the twelve Apostles.  James was among the first four of the apostles to be called by Jesus (cf Mt 4:18-22).

The son of Zebedee and Salome, James - the focus of today's feast day - is referred to as the Greater to distinguish him from the Apostle James the Less. He was the brother of John, the beloved disciple, and probably the elder of the two.

His parents seem to have been people of means. Zebedee, his father, was a fisherman of the Sea of Galilee, who probably lived in or near Bethsaida, present Galilee, Israel, perhaps in Capernaum, and had some boatmen or hired men. Salome, his mother, was one of the pious women who afterwards followed Christ and ministered unto him of their substance, and his brother John was personally known to the high-priest, and must have had the wherewithal to provide for the Mother of Jesus.

Local tradition teaches that after Jesus' death and resurrection, James the Apostle preached the Word - a treasure beyond price that is carried in the fragile earthen vessels of our bodies (cf 2 Cor 4:7) - along the Iberian peninsula (in present-day Spain) and eventually made his way to Jerusalem.  It is believed that on 2 January AD 40, the Virgin Mary appeared to James on the bank of the Ebro River at Caesaraugusta, while he was preaching in that region. She appeared upon a pillar, Nuestra Señora del Pilar, and that pillar is conservfieryed and venerated within the present Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, in Zaragoza, Spain.

According to tradition, Saint James was the first of the apostles to be martyred (at the hands of Herod Agrippa, in Jerusalem, circa AD 44).  His mortal remains are believed to be buried inside the Cathedral of Santiago (derived from the Latin original Sanctus Iacobus) at Compostella in Galacia (Spain) where they are venerated to this day.

Let us ask Saint James to pray with us today, so that we will be zealous for our faith and eager to share the good news of the gospel with those we encounter.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Ancestors

Good morning everyone,

In recent decades there has been increasing interest - in this part of the world - in genealogy (the research that is required in order to discover our ancestry.  In light of this renewed interest in discovering our roots, it is interesting to note that by our baptism, we have been made part of a spiritual family that also has an ancestry worth researching.

Our spiritual family story is recounted throughout the bible, and like many other families, there are moments of great triumph as well as other moments that some may prefer to keep hidden, yet each of the chapters in such historical accounts is another opportunity to appreciate the struggles that those who have come before us have had to endure.

In the case of our spiritual family, the common ancestor that we can all look back to is God - the one who shepherds his people with his staff (Micah 7:14).  The staff is a reminder that we are all on a pilgrimage and our shepherd is the one who is leading us on this journey.  He feeds us as he did in the days when our ancestors came from the land of Egypt (out of slavery), and shows us wonderful signs of his presence among us (Mi 7:15).

Look around you today, ask our loving God to show you many signs of His presence today, and let us take comfort in the fact that we share a wonderful heritage of faith.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Attitude

Good morning everyone,

Today, the prophet Micah presents us with words of wisdom that can prove to be very demanding in many different situations, yet these words are also meant to help us keep things in perspective. Micah says: The Lord asks only this of you: live justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God (Mi 6:4).

Last evening (Sunday), in the evening hours, a lone gunman began firing bullets along a busy section of Danforth Avenue in Toronto's Greek village. One woman is dead and many others are injured. Police are urging people to remain calm while they conduct their investigation. Live justly.

Parents know only too well how difficult it can be to maintain perspective as they try their very best - sometimes going to heroic heights - to raise their children, yet in despite the situations that we sometimes find ourselves in - experiences that seem to stretch us well beyond our limits - we must constantly remember that we are called to love tenderly at all times.

Today, let us seek to walk humbly with God. Humility can be a difficult disposition to maintain, but when we remember our own need for divine assistance, we can cultivate a much more compassionate approach to life and our interactions with others have the potential to bear abundant fruit.

Have a great day.

Lead them to Jesus

Last week, we heard Saint Mark’s account of the moment when Jesus sent the disciples out on their first mission to preach the word.  Today, we pick up the story at the point when they return from this mission.  It is important that we notice the details: they gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught (Mk 6:30).  In these few words, we can glimpse not only how the disciples accepted the task Jesus had entrusted to them, but we can also comprehend what we must do.

Week after week, the Lord sends us out on a mission: to share the good news of the gospel with those we meet.  Week after week, we too return from our mission and gather around Jesus.  In prayer, we tell him what we have done and taught.  If we have encountered anything that has left us with questions, we can ask those questions of him and we can trust that he will give us the answers we need: continually instructing us so that we can learn more and more about him and about how we can follow in his footsteps.

The sure sign that we are doing the work that Jesus has asked us to do is the presence of others who come and go (Mk 6:31), who have heard about Jesus through the words that we have spoken and who come in search of a deeper relationship with him.  This was the case when the disciples returned to Jesus too.  In that case, there were so many that the disciples had no time to rest or even to eat (cf Mk 6:31). 

Having too many people in search of Jesus is a good thing, but we must learn the difference between introducing others to Jesus and believing somehow that we ourselves are the object of their curiosity.  If we make ourselves the centre of attention, we will surely grow tired, and we will become the object of Jeremiah’s warnings (cf Jer 23:1), but if we bring people to Jesus, he himself will welcome them and begin to teach them (Mk 6:34).

In case we might still be wondering about what we should say to others, Saint Paul tells us that we only need to remind them of the fact that we who were once scattered afar from the ways of God’s goodness have now been brought near to God by the blood of Christ (Eph 2:13).  It was Christ Jesus who came and proclaimed peace ... through him, we have access ... to the Father (Eph 2:18).

God has already done all the hard work for us.  He came to earth, he proclaimed peace and he has given us access to the Father.  This is wonderful news, news worth sharing, so let us go out into the world this week to tell others that Christ has come to bring us peace.  Having received this news, we entrust our loved ones to the care of the Lord who will make himself known to them, and once they have experienced this peace for themselves, Jesus will bring them back to the fold (Jer 23:3).

His Word Today: Concern

Good morning everyone,

Today the prophet Micah reminds us that we should always remember the goodness that God has shared with us, and out of our awareness of that goodness, we should always be willing to share goodness, love and compassion with others, especially those who are in need.

If we focus on sharing these gifts with others, we will be able to leave behind the selfish tendency to look inward and to only be concerned with our own welfare: what Pope Francis calls being closed in upon ourselves.  The prophet Micah speaks in grave words about the consequences of such self-centredness.  He says: Woe to those ... who covet and cheat (Micah 2:1-2).

Instead, let us turn the eyes of our minds and thoughts outward today.  Let us dare to look around us and to see with the eyes of faith.  There are many in our midst who are struggling in so many ways: struggling to find meaning in their lives, struggling to make ends meet, struggling to be understood, accepted and loved.  Our concern for them has the potential to ease their burden, but in order for this to happen, we must take the first step.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Instil confidence

Good morning everyone,

Today we hear the words that we all want to hear from our God whenever we come to Him with our prayers.  Whether we have joyful news to share or whether we have some question or favour to present, deep in our hearts, we all want to hear Him say in response: I have heard your prayer (Is 38:5).

These are words of compassion and understanding.  These are the words of a Father who loves us and who wants only the best for us.  These few words instil a level of confidence in us because we know that someone is listening: someone who cares for us, someone who wants only the best for us.

Picture for a moment how these few words have the power to put us at ease, then ask yourself how many times you have been in such a position: seeking such assurance.  Have you always received it?  And how many times have you been on the other side: in situations where others seek assurance from you that you have heard their plea?  Have you always done what you can to build confidence and trust between them and you?

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Rest

Good morning everyone,

One of the greatest gifts that comes from a regular routine of prayer is the ability that we discover: while we are at prayer, we can rest in the presence of the Lord.  This rest is meant to refresh our hearts and our souls and to give us the spiritual energy we need in order to be faithful disciples.

When we are able to rest in the presence of the Lord, we begin to grow in trust because we discover the truth that the name of the Lord is the deepest desire of our souls (Is 26:8).  Prayer is nothing more than resting in the presence of the Lord, opening our hearts and our souls to be present to Him and to allow Him to be present to us.

Especially during these days when the regular routine of our lives has relaxed a bit, it might be worthwhile to pray for the grace to discover the great gift of being in the presence of our God, not worried about the words we speak, but rather merely being present and basking in the presence of Him who feeds our souls with special food.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Pruning

Good morning everyone,

In these days of summer, farmers and gardeners are hard at work: watering and irrigating crops, flowers and herbs; weeding and deadheading flowers so that there will be room for future blooms to mature and to blossom.

There is a reminder in today's reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah that the Lord does precisely this with us as well while we are still living in this world and preparing for life in heaven.  The prophet says: the Lord of hosts will send among his fat ones leanness, and instead of his glory there will be kindling (Is 10:16).

Such reminders are always useful for the life of missionary disciples as we make our pilgrim journey.  If we were to content ourselves with life in this world, we might be seduced into thinking that the accepted norms of the society in which we live should all be accepted at face value, but when such norms do not defend the dignity of the human person, when such norms have the potential to lead us to self-centredness rather than openness to the needs of others, when such norms pave the way to ignoring the presence of the frail and the needy among us ... we must never forget that we are Jesus' disciples; the work we are called to do is about building up His kingdom and not ours.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Encourage

Good morning everyone,

There are times when even though we know what needs to be done, we are still hesitant to do the things we know we should.  At such times, it is always good to have someone by our side who is willing to encourage us, someone who believes in us, someone who can cheer us on.

Isaiah speaks today of one such moment in his own life, when he heard the Lord encouraging him to Go ... let not your courage fail (Is 7:3-4).  This is the mark of a true leader: the ability to recognize potential in others and to encourage them until they themselves can believe in their own possibilities.  Our God is so good that He always sees what we are capable of.  He knows what we can do and he believes in us.

If today we are feeling unsure of ourselves, if today we have reason to doubt, perhaps we should ask the Lord to encourage our hearts so that we can set out on the journey knowing that we are never alone, but rather that he is always with us, seeing what we are capable of even if we ourselves are unsure of our own capabilities.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Conversion

Good morning everyone,

How many times have we told ourselves that we need to change ... and then stopped short of actually bringing about the change that we know we should?  Intentions are great but they remain just that until we actually make concrete steps to effect the change that we know needs to happen.

Such change can apply to many facets of our lives, including the relationship we cultivate with our God.  The prophet Isaiah reminds us today that if we insist on being half-hearted about our commitment to living according to our faith, God will quickly grow tired, but he will always wait for us.  He longs for us to show signs of genuine conversion:Wash yourselves clean! ... he urges us ... Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good.  Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow (Is 1:16-17).

Each of these suggestions speaks to another way that we can demonstrate the sincerity of our desire to live as authentic disciples.  Even if we were to begin by focusing on one of these, we would already be making strides toward the conversion that we need, and as long as we show at least the desire for such conversion, God will help us to bring it about.

Have a great day.

Travel light

Dear friends, once again, we have come through the doors of the school of discipleship and gathered at the feet of the Master, but we are not meant to stay here for long.  Saint Mark tells us that Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out ... (Mk 6:7).  This is what Jesus does with us as well: he calls us together so that he can teach us how to be his disciples; he feeds us with special food and then he sends us out into the world so that we can share the good news with those we encounter.

Discipleship is a journey that lasts a lifetime, but we must be careful not to burden ourselves with too much baggage, otherwise our journey will be weighed down and arduous.  As he said to the disciples, so Jesus says to us: take nothing for the journey except those things that are absolutely essential (cf Mk 6:8).  Pope Francis has repeatedly invited us to be missionary disciples.  It is our mission in life to spread the joy of the gospel.  Every day, we are invited to enter into people’s lives, to spend time with them, sharing our friendship and the experience of following in the footsteps of Jesus (cf Mk 6:10).

At first glance, it might seem that the task set before us is daunting, but we have the examples of many others who have gone before us, like Amos.  He was very aware of his own limitations, but he also knew that the Lord had sent him out, saying: Go, prophesy to my people (Amos 7:15).

In the same way as the Lord gave Amos the conviction to share his faith with others, so he gives us everything we need so that we too can be missionary disciples, able to tell the men and women of our time that the Lord has destined us for adoption as his precious children (cf Eph 1:5).  Think about that for a moment: you and I are precious children of our God.  What an amazing privilege that is!  Our God is not someone who is distant and remote.  He is here in our midst, speaking with us now through His word, instructing our hearts and souls and encouraging us to realize how deeply we are loved, how precious each one of us is in His eyes.

This is exactly what he has done with each one of his precious children, beginning with the disciples and continuing throughout the centuries that have come and gone.  Then he sends us out – not to live isolated lives of faith, but rather to travel together along the road, celebrating one another’s victories and encouraging one another as we walk along ... until the time that we can gather once again in His presence to learn, to be fed and to be sent out once again.

His Word Today: Veiled

Good morning everyone,

The prophet Isaiah speaks today of a vision of angels who stand in the presence of the Lord.  They veil their faces and feet with wings (cf Is 6:1-2).  The common belief has traditionally been that if mortals were to look upon the face of God, they would surely die.  Even the angels have to veil their faces in His presence, yet Jesus came to live among us in order to show us God's willingness to be close to us.

We will not look upon God's glorious face until the day that we see Him in heaven, but even as we make our way through this life, we have the immense privilege to look upon him in the Eucharist, to touch him and to consume him so that he is present within us!

What a gift this is!  What a privilege we have been given!

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Return

Good morning everyone,

Today, the prophet Hosea reminds us that it's never too late for us to return ... to the Lord (Hosea 14:2).  The first time I remember hearing these words, I was a relatively young and I remember wondering what these words meant: I was fortunate in my youth to have generous and loving guides who introduced me to a life of faith, but I had not yet come to know how easy it is to wander away from God.

Some of us have known such experiences, and perhaps we have wandered away over the years, or perhaps we know of others who were once introduced to a life of faith and who have now made choices that have led them down different paths.  Luckily for us, our God is so loving and patient with us that He is willing to wait - sometimes for entire lifetimes - for us to recognize our need to come back.

There has been a long-standing tradition in the Church that associates Fridays with the practice of penance.  Psalm 51, which is part of the prayer of the Church for this day, begins with the words: Have mercy on me God in your kindness (Psalm 51:1).  Every Friday morning, these words are repeated, inviting us to ask the Lord to forgive all iniquity - to forgive us for our sins (cf Hosea 14:3).

Sometimes it takes a while for us to hear these words, and even longer for them to resonate in our hearts: to remind us that we all need to return to the Lord.  Even if they do manage to reach our hearts, we sometimes will spend a long time trying to block them out, but our God is always calling to us, gently inviting us to come home.  When will we return?

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Vulnerability

Good morning everyone,

The relationships we develop with other people are meant to be sources of joy, love and satisfaction for each of us, but in order for us to realize the true depth of these gifts, each one of us must make ourselves vulnerable to another person.  It happens on occasion that two people fall in love and then one of those two comes to realize that the depth of commitment and vulnerability is not as profound for all parties concerned.  If this is the case, the result is that the one who has been committed more deeply ends up feeling cheated and used.

These same sentiments are also possible in the relationship between God and his children, except that we are always the ones who go astray.  God has loved each one of us since the day we were conceived in our mothers' wombs, but His love for us goes back generations before that.  Out of Egypt I called my son (Hos 11:1).  In other words, even from the very beginning of the relationship that God established with his chosen people, He has always loved us, and His love has remained constant even though our ancestors in faith have turned their backs on many occasions (Hos 11:2-4).

It is good for us to hear these words from the heart of our God: to be reminded again of the deep abiding love that God has for each of us ... and it is also important that we come to understand that God's love is perfect: that He will never abandon hope for each of us.  He is the Holy One, present among us (Hos 11:9) who will always look out for us and protect us.  This is the secret to true love: being able to make ourselves entirely vulnerable to the Other because He has first made himself vulnerable to us.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint Benedict of Nursia

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Benedict of Nursia (a Latin name which is usually translated as Norcia) whose birthday is traditionally observed on 2 March 480 and who is believed to have been the twin sister of Saint Scholastica. 

At the age of 20 years, Benedict could have become a Roman noble.  He went to Rome to study but did not enjoy city life so he returned to the countryside - to Enfide (Affile) - forty miles from Rome and two miles away from Subiaco.  Not far from Enfide, on the road leading to Subiaco, there is a cave located high up on a mountain, and it was here that Benedict lived in relative solitude for approximately three years.

The prophet Hosea says that it is time to break up ... a new field, for it is time to seek the Lord (Hosea 10:12).  This is precisely what Saint Benedict discovered atop that mountain.  Eventually, he established twelve communities of monks dotted throughout the Umbrian countryside.  It was after this period that he moved to Monte Cassino, located in the mountains of southern Italy, the place where he formally established the Benedictine Order.

In every generation, God calls his disciples to identify the new fields that need to be tilled so that His Word can water the earth and make it fertile.  Let us pray today for the eyes of faith that will allow us to give thanks for the fertile fields that have made it possible for us to know and love the Lord, and let us pray also for the grace to do our part to plant seeds of faith so that God's work can continue to bloom in the hearts of those we meet.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Mere things

Good morning everyone,

There is a television programme which, I believe, is still in production.  The show focuses on antiques.  People line up for what seem to be hours in order to have expert appraisers examine their hidden treasures in an attempt to discover whether there is any value attached to their possessions or not.

Whether we realize it or not, the Catholic Church has a treasure, and it has nothing to do with the value of goods on any market.  Our greatest treasure is the presence of the living God.  Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament.  Inside every tabernacle, He sits quietly, waiting for us to come to him.  When we do, when we sit or kneel in His presence, He is always willing to listen to our prayers ... and if we develop a discipline of visiting with Him in this way, before we know it, we are drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery of a special relationship of love.

Those who have discovered the gift of this relationship know that when we walk into other places that are customarily used for worship, but where this special presence of God is not present, the space feels different.  The prophet Hosea warns that we should be careful not to fall to the temptation to believe that mere things are worthy of worship (cf Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13).  It seems to me that once we have discovered the real treasure that lies silent within the tabernacle, worship of mere things can never be enough to satisfy the longing within our souls.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: How close?

Good morning everyone,

A very wise person once told me that if we want to truly understand the relationship we are meant to have with God, we need to fall in love.  When we fall in love, we want to do everything we can to find more and more time to spend in the company of the one we love.  When we fall in love, we want to give everything we have so that the other person will be happy.  This is the way our God wants to live with us.

The prophet Hosea tells us today that God wants to lure us away, to lead us into the desert and speak to our hearts (Hos 2:16).  The biblical image of the desert speaks of a place where God can be alone with us - like someone with whom we have fallen deeply in love.  The desert is a place where there are no other distractions, where God can speak tenderly to our hearts.

What a wonderful image: it speaks of God as the One who has already fallen hopelessly in love with each one of us.  If only we would accept the invitation, perhaps we too would fall in love with God.  This thought should excite us, even if it might scare us at the same time ... but I think it's worth the risk because God is infinitely patient with us and will never harm us.  Falling in love with God simply means that we will grow closer in our relationship, more trusting, more loving, and we will discover a deeper level of personal happiness and fulfillment.

Have a great day.

Prophets among us

On Monday of this past week, we received news of the death of Monsignor John Caswell, a priest of our diocese who has served in various parts of our diocese from the time of his Ordination in 1962 until many years after his retirement from active ministry in 2006.  Cas – as he was most fondly known – had a keen eye for finding innovative ways of being present to people, which also gave him opportunities to preach the gospel.  He skated with a group of priests from Northern Ontario who were known collectively as the Flying Fathers, and entertained thousands by playing hockey games against local teams in many of the cities and towns dotted throughout this part of the province. 

At first glance, someone may think: what does playing hockey have to do with preaching the gospel? The genius of this approach was that it allowed a group of priests to enter into the minds and hearts of so many people, not by speaking words but rather by demonstrating through recreation, antics and good sportsmanship that it is possible to be prophets – to speak the word of God - to all generations; we just have to find the right way to do it.

Later on in his priesthood, he was instrumental in bringing the weekly liturgy to the sick and shut-ins.  In this case, and in many other endeavours, there was skepticism at first.  When the Mass for Shut-ins began, it was a relatively new form of media and so many people were unsure about whether it would work.  This is often the case when new approaches are introduced: the natural tendency is to react with skepticism, much like those who were astonished by the words they heard Jesus speaking in the synagogue (Mk 6:2).  Thankfully Cas continued his efforts for many years and made it possible for many people – most of whom he probably never met - to be fed by the word of God.

I had the privilege of living with Monsignor Caswell at Christ the King in the latter years of his active ministry.  Even then, his creativity was only outmatched by his wit and wisdom.  God had indeed sent him to the children of Israel (Ez 2:3) and he always accepted the challenge.

Saint Paul speaks today of the fact that in order to keep him from being too proud about the good news that he had received, a thorn was given him in the flesh (2 Cor 12:7).  Many years before I knew him, Father Caswell had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus.  As a result of the operation that granted him an extension of his years among us, his dietary restrictions had to be followed with great rigor, but he never allowed this to stop him from sharing the joy of the gospel with those he met.

This is the secret to evangelization.  All of Christ’s disciples have received the precious gift of a personal relationship with Jesus, and all of us are capable of sharing the joy that this gift brings with those we meet, whether the message we speak is welcomed by others or not.  Let us give thanks today for the gift of this holy priest, for his courage and willingness to find new ways to share the gospel with others, and let us ask him to inspire us by his intercession so that we in turn can do the same.

His Word Today: Restoration

Good morning everyone,

On days when we feel downtrodden and forgotten, we should listen to the words that the prophet Amos speaks today: I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel; they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities, plant vineyards and drink the wine, set out gardens and eat the fruits (Amos 9:14).

Our God has given us a precious gift: we were once far from our God but He came in search of us because he has always loved us.  He has always desired to live in union with us and has gone to great lengths to rebuild the relationship that we enjoy.  Who else can say that we have had such lavish gifts presented to us?

Every day, our God gives us the strength of faith that we need in order to be His witnesses in the world.  His deepest desire is that we will realize the fact that He lives among us.  He is constantly at work, planting his word in our hearts and preparing the best of wines for us to celebrate the gift of his love.  Give thanks today for these gifts and rejoice in the fruits of the faith that is the gift of our God.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Famine

Good morning everyone,

Perhaps you are aware of the Church's ancient discipline of fasting.  Usually, we tend to think of fasting in terms of reducing the amount of food that we consume, but fasting can also apply to reducing other usages as well.  During the period of Lent, it is not unheard of for people to reduce the amount of time they spend watching television or surfing the internet, but what might it be like if God were to fast from making himself known to us?

This possibility is presented to us in the words of the prophet Amos: the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send famine upon the land: not a famine of bread, or thirst for water, but for hearing the word of the Lord (Amos 8:11).  How different life would be if we were suddenly to be subjected to such a famine.

It is true that sometimes we are not aware of the good things we have until they have been taken away from us.  Let this not be the case with the relationship we enjoy with our God.  Rather, let us pray today in thanksgiving for the goodness of God, for his constant presence and for his infinite capacity for mercy.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: a prophet speaks

Good morning everyone,

Today, we hear the words of Amos which affirm the call that the Lord has addressed to him:  I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. The Lord took me from following the flock, and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' Now hear the word of the Lord!' (Amos 7:14-15).

The authenticity of our call to be disciples of Jesus is born in the fact that it is Jesus who has called us.  It is his work that we attempt to accomplish, not our own.  In fact, if we try to only focus on our own desires and preferences, our efforts echo emptily whereas if we strive to do the will of One who is much larger than we are, someone who loves us more deeply and more intently than we could ever love ourselves, there is another, deeper meaning to the words we speak and to the acts of love that we undertake.

Today, relish the thought that it is not we who call ourselves to carry out our own plans.  Rather we have been called by the Lord, taken from among our peers and sent to speak prophetic words to the world.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint Elizabeth of Portugal

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church observes the optional Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal.  Elizabeth was a Spanish princess who was given in marriage to King Denis of Portugal at the age of twelve. She was very beautiful and very lovable. She was also very devout, and went to Mass every day. Elizabeth was a holy wife, but although her husband was fond of her at first, he soon began to cause her great suffering. Though a good ruler, he did not imitate his wife's love of prayer and other virtues. In fact, his sins of impurity gave great scandal to the people.

Later, to make matters worse, the King believed a lie told about Elizabeth and one of her pages by another page, who was jealous of his companion. In great anger the King ordered the one he believed guilty, to be sent to a lime-burner. The lime-burner was commanded to throw into his furnace the first page who came. The good page set out obediently, not knowing death was waiting for him. On his way he stopped for Mass, since he had the habit of going daily. The first Mass had begun, so he stayed for a second one. In the meantime, the King sent the wicked page to the lime-burner to find out if the other had been killed. And so it was this page who was thrown into the furnace! When the King learned what had happened, he realized that God had saved the good page, punished the liar, and proven Queen Elizabeth to be innocent.

This amazing event helped greatly to make the King live better. He apologized to his wife in front of everyone and began to have a great respect for her. In his last sickness, she never left his side, except for Mass, until he died a holy death. Saint Elizabeth lived for eleven more years, doing even greater charity and penance. She was a wonderful model of kindness toward the poor and a successful peacemaker between members of her own family and between nations.

Through her intercession, may this holy woman help us to seek good and not evil, so that we may live (Amos 5:14).

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint Thomas, the Apostle

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast day of Saint Thomas, the Apostle - who is also referred to in the gospels as Didymus (the twin) (cf Jn 11:16; 20:24; 21:2).

Thomas is the one who was not present when Jesus first appeared to his disciples in the Upper Room after his resurrection. So the other disciples said to him, 'We have seen the Lord'. But he said to them, 'Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the marks, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe' (Jn 20:25).  I love Thomas because his lack of faith helps me to believe that even when my faith seems weak, there is always hope.

After Jesus' Ascension, Thomas is said to have travelled far outside the Roman Empire, preaching the gospel in Tamilakam: the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in present-day India.  According to tradition, Thomas reached Muziris, (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in the state of Kerala, India) in AD 50 and baptized several people, founding what today are known as Saint Thomas Christians.

While that would have been an absolutely immense amount of space to cover - and indeed, Thomas should be admired for that accomplishment alone - we can almost hear him speaking in words that would not have been dissimilar to those Saint Paul wrote to the Christian community at Ephesus: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone (Eph 2:19-20).

Today, let us ask Saint Thomas to pray with us for the gift of fervent conviction so that we too can joyfully share the gift of our faith with those we meet.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Be grateful

Good morning everyone,

Yesterday we in Canada celebrated our country's national day. Citizens of this country and those who live here have many and varied ways of celebrating this day, but regardless of the ways in which we mark this day, we must always remember that Canada is a country where we enjoy many blessings.   On an occasion such as Canada day, it is fitting that we should pause just for a moment to be mindful of the many reasons why we should be grateful for our country.

As we think of our country with gratitude, perhaps our hearts also turn to other reasons to be thankful: for the people who are part of our lives, for our parents, for other elders, and for all those who have helped us to become the people that we are ...  no matter how successful we become, we should never forget those who have helped us along the way.

The prophet Amos reminds us in today's first reading that even God hopes that we will remember the goodness that he has shared with us (Amos 2:6-16).  Our God is infinitely patient, so I would like to think that he would never become resentful about the fact that we might forget all the goodness that he has shared with us. Amos' advice is a warning for us to always remember and to always be grateful.

Have a great day.

Little girl, get up!

Last weekend, parishioners were asked to cast their ballots in order to determine the name of a new patron saint for the parish that will serve as the spiritual home for all Catholics in Elliot Lake.  Voting was extended until Wednesday of this week in order to allow those who could not be present on the weekend to participate.  On Wednesday afternoon, I myself counted the ballots, and then I sent a note to the Bishop.  Before sharing the results of the vote, I wanted to be sure whether he was ok with me telling you now or whether he preferred that the name of the new parish be revealed only when the official decrees are published.  And what was the result?, you ask.  The parish in Elliot Lake will be known as ... Saint Bernadette.

As I read the readings for this Sunday’s Mass, I began to notice an interesting connection between the choice of this new patron saint and the images presented in the scriptures.  The gospel account places us with Jesus at the point when he met Jairus, one of the synagogue leaders – a man of great importance who fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly: ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be made well and live' (Mk 5:22-23).  As the story continues, the official’s daughter – the one who is weak and dying - becomes the focus of the story.

Bernadette Soubirous was the first-born daughter of François and Louise Soubirous.  She had eight brothers and sisters.  Her father was a miller by trade, but her family was not rich.  As a toddler, Bernadette contracted cholera – an infection of the lower intestine that often causes diarrhea, vomiting and muscle cramps.  She also suffered from severe asthma.  Like Jairus, I am sure that Bernadette’s parents often prayed for Bernadette, asking God to come and lay his hands on her so that she may be made well and live.

Saint Bernadette’s life provides us with an example of the goodness of our God who though he was rich ... for our sakes became poor so that by his poverty, we might be made rich (2 Cor 8:9).  The physical poverty experienced by the Soubirous family did not stop them from loving one another.  Even in her own frailty, Bernadette learned about God who made himself poor so that he could be close to us.  What a wonderful image, what consolation she must have found in knowing that he was always close to her.  We too can find comfort in this knowledge: our God made himself poor so that he could come close to us.

None of us might ever have heard about Bernadette and her family except for the great gift that God granted to her: the grace of seeing a young lady who Bernadette herself only ever referred to as aquero (a word which means: that).  In total, she saw the lady seventeen times, but it was only on the sixteenth of these visits that the lady told her: I am the Immaculate Conception.

Bernadette eventually moved to Nevers, where she entered the Sisters of Charity.  Her incorrupt body (Wis 2:23) still lies in the chapel of the Motherhouse of her Order.

The parishes of Our Lady of Fatima and Ste-Marie will continue to exist until canonical decrees are published, at some time in the future, but even now, we can begin to ask Saint Bernadette to pray for us: that we may always recognize our own poverty and human weakness ... and that God may share with us the great abundance of his riches.