His Word Today: Food

Good morning everyone,

We all need to eat in order to survive, but how often have we considered the fact that we need to receive the special nourishment that our God gives us in order to live in eternity?

In today's gospel, Jesus tells us: I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst (Jn 6:35).  In fact, those who receive this special food, which we call the Eucharist, and everyone who believes in him who has provided this food for us also bears the pledge of eternal life.

This special food is offered freely for all those who are in need of it, for all those who need to grow in their faith and for all those who must rely on it as a source of divine strength.  So let us approach the source of this special food and let us joyfully sing our praises to God.  Let us also receive the special food he offers and let us continue to trust that this special food will indeed lead us to the reward of eternal life.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Signs

Good morning everyone,

The culture into which Jesus was born was filled with expectation.  At the time, the Jewish people were looking forward to the immanent arrival of the Messiah: the promised One of God.  At the same time, there were many other prophets who were foretelling the coming of the Messiah, and each of them was competing for attention by providing signs and indications that would prove his validity.

Enter Jesus.  Like all other prophets at the time, he was providing proof of his right to claim the title of Messiah, but unlike the other sages, his words rang true.  When the crowds asked him to provide proof, he gave them bread to eat: bread that had been miraculously multiplied, and yet he spoke of another level at which his listeners could understand his role of providing nourishment for them.  I am the bread of life, he said, whoever comes to me will never hunger (Jn 6:35).

Even today, Jesus repeats this very same promise to us.  He is the source of the eternal bread that will always satiate our hunger.  If we turn to him in times of need, he will always listen and he will always give us what we need - not necessarily what we might want, but what we truly need.

Today, and every day, he invites us to turn to him, to trust in him and to believe that he will always fulfill his promise to provide for our needs.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Believe

Good morning everyone,

Today's gospel passage places us with the people who go in search of Jesus after they have witnessed the miraculous multiplication of the loaves and the fish (cf Jn 6:22-29).  I have often wondered about the true motivation for all those people to go off in search of Jesus.  They had witnessed something wonderful.  Did they think that it was some kind of magic?  Were they caught up in the wonder of the moment, looking for some more wonderful proof that this man Jesus was not like anyone else they had ever met?

What about us?  When we think about Jesus, what kind of image do we conjure in our minds?  Do we go out in search of Jesus as we live our daily lives?  Do we recognize him in the people we encounter? Or does he remain the hero of a story that we have read in a book?

Every day of our lives, Jesus invites us to seek him out, to encounter him in unexpected and sometimes surprising situations.  Each one of these occasions is another opportunity for us to grow in our belief that He loves us infinitely and unboundedly, and that he wants to share the gift of his love with us.  In turn, we can share this love with others, showing them by our own convictions the true source of the joy and the love we have to offer.

Have a great day.

The next steps

Those first few days following the resurrection of Jesus could not have been easy for the disciples to experience.  They had been filled with such hope, and then Jesus had been arrested, put on trial and killed.  Even though they had seen the risen Lord in the Upper Room, the joy that had filled their hearts was far too easily replaced by doubt.  Today’s gospel tells us that some of them had gathered on the shores of the Sea of Tiberius (cf Jn 21:1-3).  The scriptures record only a few words, spoken by Peter: I’m going fishing, yet we can hear disappointment in his voice, and perhaps we can sympathize with him too.

For the last few months, all of us who are part of the Catholic communities in Elliot Lake have been asking increasing numbers of questions about the next steps for our local Church.  Like the disciples, we too may be feeling doubts and fears about what is to come.   Like the disciples, a part of us longs to go back to the way things used to be, but we cannot go backwards; we must face the future, and we can do this because, like the disciples, Jesus meets us where we are and asks us to cast our nets, and to bring some of the fish that we have caught – that is to say that we are being invited to bring our talents and gifts and to share them freely and lovingly so that together we can build a vibrant community of faith in this city.

The members of the Transition Team have been hard at work planning the details of the final liturgies that will be celebrated in the parish churches of Ste-Marie and Our Lady of Fatima. It is our hope that each of these celebrations will be an opportunity for us to look back, to remember the lives of faith that have been lived in these two places of worship and to give thanks to God for all the blessings we have received.

The closing liturgy for Our Lady of Fatima parish will be celebrated on Saturday afternoon, June 1st beginning at 4:00pm, and the final Mass at Ste-Marie will be celebrated the following day: June 2nd beginning at 9:30am.  Following the completion of these Masses, the two churches will be closed and there will be no weekday Masses celebrated during that week.  The regular weekday liturgies will begin again on Tuesday, June 11th.

On Sunday morning, June 9th, we will celebrate the first Mass in the new parish church of Saint Bernadette, beginning at 10:00am.  This will be an opportunity for all of us to celebrate a new beginning in the story of faith that we are writing together here in this part of the Lord’s vineyard.

Beginning on the weekend of June 15th and 16th, the regular schedule of Masses for the Lord’s day will include two Masses celebrated in English – one on Saturday afternoon at 4:00pm and the other one on Sunday morning at 11:00am; and one Mass celebrated in French on Sunday morning at 9:00am.

At the conclusion of today’s gospel, Jesus spoke with Peter and granted him a new beginning (cf Jn 21:15-19).  Let us pray for one another, that this new beginning will be a time of grace and blessing for all of us.

His Word Today: Saints Philip and James

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the liturgical memorial of Saints Philip and James (the son of Alphaeus), two of the disciples who sat at the feet of Jesus and learned first hand about his vision for the Kingdom.

Philip came from Bethsaida, the same town as Peter and Andrew.  He was one of the disciples who Jesus called to follow him.  In time, he told Nathanael about Jesus, the one about whom Moses wrote (Jn 1:45).  Philip gives us the example of one who truly understands that the good news of knowing Jesus must be shared with others.  It cannot be kept as though it is meant simply for our own salvation.

James, the son of Alphaeus is also known as James the Lesser, not to be confused with James the Greater, the son of Zebedee.

We get a little glimpse into the world of the disciples in today's gospel passage.  Jesus is speaking with the disciples, answering their questions about the Kingdom and the path that we humans must follow in order to arrive at our ultimate destination.  When Philip demonstrated his enthusiasm, asking Jesus: show us the Father, that will be enough for us (Jn 14:8), Jesus helped Philip to grow in his understanding: Whoever has seen me has seen the Father (Jn 14:9).

The disciples' questions are also our questions.  Today, let us ask Saints Philip and James to pray with us that we too may welcome the word of Jesus, and that our divine teacher may help us to grow in our knowledge of Him.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint Athanasius

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the liturgical memorial of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (circa 296-298 to 2 May 373 A.D.), who was the twentieth Bishop of Alexandria (present-day Egypt) - a position he held for a total of 45 years (circa 8 June 328 to 2 May 373).  During that time he was exiled on at least five occasions by order of four different Roman emperors.  Despite the persecution, he was an accomplished theologian and the chief defender of the Church's belief that there is one God who exists in three distinct persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - who have existed co-eternally (ie from the beginning of time).

This trinitarian belief is further strengthened in today's gospel passage: The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him (Jn 1:35), and whoever believes in the Son has eternal life (Jn 1:36).

Let us ask Saint Athanasius to pray with us today.  In thanksgiving for his work of clarifying our understanding of who God is, let us bravely set out with the mission to share this news with those we encounter: God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is one God, but made known in three distinct persons who promises us the gift of everlasting life in heaven.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint Joseph the Worker

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the second of two feast days dedicated to Saint Joseph.  The first is celebrated on March 19 - the Feast of Saint Joseph, the Husband of Mary - and the second is today's Feast of Saint Joseph, the Worker.  Saint John Paul II once said of Saint Joseph: He is a man of great spirit.  He is great in spirit, not because he listens to the words of the living God.  He listens in silence, and his heart ceaselessly perseveres in its readiness to accept the truth contained in the word of the living God.

Alongside the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph cooperated in creating the necessary conditions so that God, who so loved the world could give his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life (Jn 3:16).

The work that Saint Joseph accomplished was precisely the task of listening attentively to the voice of the Lord who directed his actions.  Today, we too can ask Saint Joseph to intercede for us, so that we too may learn how to entrust our efforts to the loving care of our heavenly Father, in order that our efforts too may contribute to the fulfillment of his eternal plan.

Have a great day.