His Word Today: Something precious

Good morning everyone,

The portion of the second Book of Kings that is prescribed for today's liturgy (2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20) describes yet another episode of competition and fighting for places of prestige and honour among those who are our ancestors in faith.  People went to great extents to overthrow the leaders of their time, and equally cunning measures were also called for in order to safeguard the rightful claimants to those places of respect, even to the point of hiding infant children within the walls of the Lord's temple (cf 2 Kings 11:1-3).

Once again, these chapters, which form a part of the living history that we continue today, are meant to remind us of the great lengths to which people have been willing to go in order to protect the treasure that has been entrusted to us ... and this is the same for us today.  We who have discovered the treasure of our faith, and who come to recognize it day after day in the relationship of love that Jesus invites us to realize, are indeed privileged.

Like the saints who are recognized throughout history, and like the holy people who we all have known, we too are called to continue the living tradition of faith that has been passed on to us.  It is a precious tapestry woven out of the experiences of others, bound together by the love that we have heard about in the scriptures and come to experience in our own lives.  Give thanks today for the precious treasure of our faith, and pray for the courage to be a willing example of faith for others.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

Good morning everyone,

Today's first reading (Sirach 48:1-14) focuses our attention once again on the person of Elijah.  Known and revered for his holiness, Elijah was granted the special privilege of speaking words that were like a flaming furnace (Sir 48:1) and of ultimately being enveloped in a whirlwind (Sir 48:12) and taken into heaven at the end of his earthly life.  Such dramatic images make the history of God's people truly something to behold, but what is even more compelling is the fact that the lives we are meant to live in relationship with our God are just as compelling.

One example of such a compelling life is found in Saint Aloysius Gonzaga.  Born 9 March 1568 not far from Brescia (in Northern Italy), Luigi (as he was known at the time, was from an aristocratic family.  The first-born of seven children, he was in line to inherit his father's title and status as Marquis.  In preparation for this eventuality, he received military training from an early age, but he also received an education in languages and in the arts.

By the age of 8, Luigi had already witnessed the death of two of his brothers, and himself contracted a kidney disease.  Recovering from his illness, he began to read about the saints and to spend much of his time in prayer.  In 1580, he met Cardinal Charles Borromeo who celebrated the Sacrament of Communion with him for the first time on 22 July of that year.

Having read a book about Jesuit missionaries in India, Luigi felt strongly that he wanted to be a missionary.  He began by teaching catechism to young boys in his hometown of Castiglione during the summer months.  He also visited the Capuchin Friars and the Barnabites in the Dutchy of Montferrat where his family spent the winter months.  Perhaps during those visits, he was further enticed to consider a religious vocation.

In 1581, Luigi began to seriously consider joining a religious Order.  He considered the Capuchins but he had a Jesuit confessor at the time and decided to join that Order instead.  His mother was happy about his decision but his father was furious because this would have changed his hopes and dreams for his beloved son.  It wasn't until November 1585 that Luigi renounced all rights to inherit his father's fortune and title, choosing instead to lead a life of asceticism.  On 25 November of that year, he was accepted as a Novice in the Society of Jesus.

Throughout his Noviciate and studies in philosophy, he continued to suffer from kidney disease as well as skin disease, chronic headaches and insomnia.  It was in 1587 that he took the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and then began his studies in theology.

In 1591, a plague broke out in Rome and the Jesuits opened a hospital to care for those who were stricken by the disease.  Aloysius volunteered to care for the sick and the dying, washing and feeding plague victims and preparing them to receive the Sacraments.  Though he persisted in this work, he privately confessed to his spiritual director that he was revolted by the sights and smells of such work.

Eventually, his exposure to the plague victims resulted in his own contracting of the disease.  A few days before his 23rd birthday - on 3 March 1591, Aloysius was bedridden by his disease.  Over the next few months, he rallied but eventually, he died on 21 June 1591.  He was buried in the church of Saint Ignatius Loyola in Rome (Sant'Ignazio).

Even today, many centuries later, Saint Aloysius Gonzaga continues to inspire many young people to discover the gift of their faith.  May he also encourage them to say yes to the Lord's invitation to follow in his footsteps: to be close to his people and to reach out to them with gestures of love, always caring for the wounds of Christ in the visible and invisible wounds of others.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Holy Moments

Good morning everyone,

Today, the scriptures recount the moment when Elijah completed his earthly journey and continued into heaven (cf 2 Kings 2: 1, 6-14).  Anyone who has had the privilege of being present at the bedside of a loved one in his or her final moments of earthly life knows that those final moments are indeed a blessing.

It often happens that hearts are opened to one another in a way that they have never been opened throughout entire lifetimes.  Joys and sorrows shared are remembered with grateful hearts, reluctances and hesitations are often explained in the sacred space created when life's limits become evident ... most of the time, but not always.

All moments of life are meant to be sacred, shared with loving companions who know us deeply, love us tenderly and help us to walk in humility with God and with others.  May the prophets of scripture - Elijah and Elisha - instruct our hearts so that we can grow in our awareness of this grace.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: A change of heart

Good morning everyone,

The scriptures are filled with the adventures and mis-adventures of God's people.  This week, we have read the story of Ahab whose wife Jezebel even went so far as to falsely condemn someone to death so that her husband could gain physical possessions.  Today, the scriptures continue, and we see that when Ahab realizes the error of his way, he repents: He tore his garments (as a sign of his shame) and put on sackcloth over his bare flesh as a mark of repentance for his sin (1 Kings 21:27).

Even in our day, many people may be tempted to think that they don't have to answer for their actions and words, but the truth is that we are all part of one family: God's family.  If only we could realize how precious this reality truly is, perhaps we would look at life differently.  Living in relationship with Jesus, and with our brothers and sisters, we come to realize that each person who we meet has something to offer us - a smile, a pleasant word, some kind of encouragement or help - and that we too have it within our power to make other people's journeys through life a little bit better.

Even if we have not always realized this truth, it is not too late to ask our loving God to reveal it to us, beginning today.  Ask for that grace and prepared to be pleasantly surprised.  Prepare also to have your heart filled with an overwhelming desire to be generous with your talents and gifts: this is the natural response to the awareness of goodness in our midst.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Rooted

Good morning everyone,

We live in a society that preaches a very interesting message: all will be well if you can be rich, if you can look good ... but there is an important factor that is missing in this message ... that we need to always understand ourselves in light of our ancestors: what they have done for us, how much they have sacrificed, the true value of the treasure they have bequeathed to us.

In ancient Israel, this sense of rootedness was made evident in the land that was passed down from one generation to another.  The same plot of land often remained in the same family, being farmed by some and providing pasture for livestock belonging to others.  In this context, we see the drama unfold between Naboth and Ahab in today's first reading (1 Kings 21:1-16).  Ahab is rich and thinks that his money should be able to buy him more land, so he approaches Naboth and begs him: Give me your vineyard for my vegetable garden (1 Kings 21:2).  By asking such a question, Ahab demonstrates plainly that he has no regard for the sacredness of the land that had belonged to Naboth and his family.  By comparison, Naboth is very well connected to the land that is his birthright.  He denies Ahab's request quite plainly: The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage (1 Kings 21:4).  In fact, Naboth lost his life for his land.

Jesus took Naboth's commitment to yet another level when he encouraged his disciples to offer no resistance to one who is evil (Mt 5:39) ... in fact, Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles (Mt 5:41).  Only someone who is well connected to his or her roots, someone who knows where he or she has come from, can be free enough to give so freely.

Have a great day.

Sowing seeds

We received word this week of the sudden death of Monsignor David Cresswell, a priest of our diocese.  Monsignor Cresswell has served various parishes throughout our diocese since his Ordination in 1963, including Our Lady of Fatima in Elliot Lake and Saint James the Greater in Blind River.  For the last sixteen (16) years, he has been living in Coniston and exercising his priestly ministry among the parishioners at Saint Paul the Apostle parish.

The work of a priest is to live among the people of God, doing as Jesus did: scattering seeds on the land (Mk 4:26).  In various parishes throughout the diocese and during the time he spent in Gualan, Guatemala (from June 1965 until March 1971), Monsignor Cresswell scattered the seeds of faith.  Like the farmer in the gospel, he never knew whether those seeds would take root, but he continued to share the gift of his own faith with those he met, always encouraging them to discover the love of God in their own lives.

This is how it is for all of us.  Our task is to sow seeds.  We sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed sprouts and grows, we know not how (Mk 4:27).  It is God who inspires within our hearts the desire to know him and it is He who continues, night and day, the process of helping the seeds that we have planted to grow.  Like good gardeners, we are called to care for the seeds of faith that are sown in the hearts of those we encounter: to water them regularly with our prayer and to help them to grow through the example of our faith.

Saint Paul tells us that we must always be courageous in this task (cf 2 Cor 5:6).  It takes courage to speak about God to those around us, and it takes even more courage to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7), yet this is what we strive to do every day.  We must never allow the lights of this world to blind us to the truths that we have discovered, otherwise, we will run the risk of losing our way.  Instead, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, knowing that heaven is our ultimate goal, our true homeland.

At some level, we all know this to be true, but we still face the temptation to doubt when we look around us and see that there are less and less people choosing to associate themselves with organized religion.  When we are tempted to doubt, it might help to take a step back and to remember that this is God’s church, that he is always at work, planting and transplanting the tender shoots (cf Ez 17:22) of faith he has planted within our hearts so that others can also come to know and love Him.

The funeral Mass for Monsignor David Cressell will be celebrated at Saint Paul the Apostle parish in Coniston on Wednesday morning, June 20 beginning at 10:00am.  May the Lord who called him to serve as a priest in this Diocese now welcome him home and grant him the gift of eternal life in His presence, and may the members of his family and those who are saddened by his sudden departure be comforted in the knowledge that the day he has longed for has finally come to pass.

His Word Today: Seek guidance

Good morning everyone,

It seems that at all moments of life, we need to seek guidance from time to time.  When we are children, we look to parents and other adults who are significant to us.   As we grow, we look to peers, colleagues ... all along, people of faith learn that it is possible to look to our faith to gain the wisdom that we need.

Evidence of this truth is found in a passage taken from the first Book of Kings (1 Kings 19:11-16).  Elijah came to the mountain of God ... to a cave where he took shelter (1 Kings 19:9).  There, he encountered the Lord and said: I have been most zealous for the Lord ... but the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant ... I alone am left, and they seek to take my life (1 Kings 19:14).  If Elijah had expected the Lord to change his mind and send him off to another destination, he may have been disappointed because the answer to his prayer was: Go back, take the road back to the desert near Damascus ...  (1 Kings 19:15).

Like Elijah, we too must always remember to go in search of the Lord when we are in need of guidance.  Even if he does not answer our prayer right away, we can remain persistent in our expectations, for he will never turn his back on us.  Instead, he will always listen to our prayers and will offer guidance.  Then it is up to us to follow his advice.

Have a great day.