His Word Today: Mother

Good morning everyone,

On 3 March 2018, His Holiness, Pope Francis issued a decree establishing a new liturgical Memorial in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.  The practice of referring to Mary as the Mother of the Church began in the fourth century A.D.  It was Saint Ambrose of Milan who first used this title, and it has continued in the tradition of the Church to the present day.

Pope John Paul II stated that overall the title indicates the Blessed Virgin Mary's maternity of Christ's faithful, as deriving from her maternity of Christ in that Mary is present in the Church as the Mother of Christ, and at the same time as that Mother whom Christ, in the mystery of the Redemption, gave to humanity in the person of the Apostle John (cf John 19:27). Thus, in her new motherhood in the Spirit, Mary embraces each and every one in the Church, and embraces each and every one through the Church.

Pope Francis has often used the image of a loving mother to refer to the entire Church.  This image is rooted in the enduring belief that the Blessed Virgin Mary is indeed the Mother of the Church and our heavenly mother.  Today, let us turn to her with grateful hearts.  We thank her for all the graces and blessings we have received, especially during the Easter season that ended yesterday, and we thank her for her continued guidance as we continue the journey of walking through this world as joyful disciples.

Have a great day.

Something new

Fifty days have now passed since we began the celebration of the Easter season.  Today, as we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, this time of celebration draws to a close.  For the past six weeks, the scriptures have invited us to reflect on the experience that the disciples encountered in the days following Jesus' resurrection and while they waited for the gift of the Spirit, even though they really didn't understand what this new gift would look like.  When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place (Acts 2:1), just as they had done on many other occasions.  Human beings are creatures of habit, but God had something new in mind for them, and the same can be said for us.

Without any warning, suddenly ... there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind ... Divided tongues ... something like fire ... appeared among them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages (Acts 2:2-4).  Something unexpected, something new, something wonderful was taking place.  At first, the disciples did not understand what was unfolding, but they recognized the fact that whatever this was, it was a gift, the gift that had been promised.

Today, we have gathered in this place to begin a new chapter in the history of the Catholic faithful in the city of Elliot Lake.  As it was in the time of the disciples, we too have been waiting for this day, not understanding fully how it would all come to pass, but trusting that it would indeed happen.  We have come a long way in a relatively short period of time.  Two years ago, when I first arrived, people told me that there were great needs among the people of this city.  People told me that there were increasing struggles to find enough people to fill all the roles that are necessary for the healthy functioning of a parish.  We have known for quite some time that something needed to be done.  The process that has led to this day has not always been easy, but it has been necessary.  Today, we can begin to look forward to a brighter tomorrow.

Saint Paul reminds us that there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit (1 Cor 12:4).  We give thanks to God for all the gifts that have been so freely and generously shared at various points along the road that has led us to this moment, and together, we ask the Lord to journey with us on the path that lies ahead.  For just as the body is one and has many members ... so it is with Christ (1 Cor 12:12).  We all come to this place, at this moment in time, bringing with us our own histories, our own experiences, our own gifts - and all of us have gifts to share, and no gift is insignificant in the eyes of our God.

When Jesus appeared to the disciples in the Upper Room, he gave them a gift.  He said to each one of them: Peace be with you, but that peace was not meant for them to keep for themselves.  In the same breath, he told them: As the Father has sent me, so I send you (Jn 20:21).  Here, in this church, Jesus offers a gift to the new parish community of Saint Bernadette.  He says to each one of us: Peace be with you.  Our world is very much in need of the gift of peace, and it is up to us to go out from this place and to share the gift of God's peace with those we meet.  Together, let us ask the Lord to look lovingly upon us, to breathe the breath of his spirit upon us and to fill us with new life so that we can go out to the places where he sends us, to be his witnesses of joy, compassion and love in the world.

His Word Today: A second chance

Good morning everyone,

In today's gospel passage (Jn 21:15-19) we see a wonderful side of Jesus.  He gives Simon Peter a second chance, and he is also willing to give us a second chance.  This was great consolation for Peter's wounded heart and it is the source of great consolation also for us.

Peter was more disappointed in himself than in anyone else.  He had thought himself to be great.  After all, even Jesus had chosen him, had trusted him, had dreamed of great possibilities for him, and then Peter had denied Jesus: not once, not twice, but three times.  The shame!  And yet, after Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples, ... he said to Simon Peter: Do you love me more than these? (Jn 21:15).

Jesus is just as merciful with us.  Whenever we have thought ourselves to be worthy of great importance, only to have come up short and disappointed ourselves, Jesus finds a way to come to us and to give us a second chance.  He simply asks: Do you love me? ... and patiently waits for us to respond.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Time

Good morning everyone,

All those who pray the Liturgy of the Hours are participating in the continual prayer of the Church.  Given the fact that there are devotees of this form of prayer in all time zones across the globe, it can sometimes be enriching to consider that at all moments of the day and night, there is someone at prayer.

In addition, since there have been people at prayer since the time that Jesus taught us how to pray, and even before that moment, it is equally stunning to consider that there has always been a voice at prayer throughout all moments of history, and presumably, as we go forward in time, this tradition will also continue.

The excerpt from John's gospel that appears in today's liturgy reminds us of these realities.  In his own prayer, Jesus was mindful not only of his own disciples, but also those who will believe in me through their word (Jn 17:20).  As we pray today, let us also be aware of the fact that through time, Jesus - and many others - have also been praying for us, and that we in turn can pray for all those who will come after us to follow in the footsteps of our divine Master.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint Boniface

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Boniface, and eighth century hero who was born in Crediton (Devon) England and who eventually played an important role in the mission to share the gospel with people who lived in various parts of the Frankish empire (the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe).

Jesus call to continue the mission has also been passed down to us.  Like Boniface and like so many others who have continued the work of spreading the gospel, we too have been entrusted with the opportunity to realize that Jesus' prayer - offered in the gospel today - is not only about him and about his disciples, but equally about us.  He protects us ... in the name of our Father ... and guards us so that none of us is lost (cf Jn 17:12).

It is a great source of comfort for us to know that as we face the daily struggle of trying to face the world - which can so often be filled with more than its fair share of struggles - we can always count on the enduring presence of Jesus who protects and guards us.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Know

Good morning everyone,

Today's gospel passage reminds us that the ultimate gift that our heavenly Father promises is eternal life.  Immersed as we are in day to day existence, we can easily become distracted by the worries that this world tries to place before us.  All the more reason why we need to stop and spend some time with our heavenly Father.

We need to hear him whisper in our ears every day: This is eternal life: that you should know your Father, the only true God, and the one who he sent - Jesus Christ (Jn 17:3).  We can only do this if we develop the habit of spending time with our Father and with Jesus as often as we can.  It is in the regular meeting of prayer that we can grow in our understanding of the love that God has for us, and strengthen the relationship we are meant to have with both God the Father and Jesus his Son.

Today, let us open the ears of our souls and let us try to be attentive to the presence of our God who is always near to us.  Together, they are constantly anticipating our divine homecoming ... so that one step at time, we can learn to celebrate the joy of knowing them.

Have a great day.

The next step

Today, the Church celebrates the Ascension of the Lord.  After having been raised from the dead, and having appeared to his disciples in order to open their minds to understand the Scriptures ... and their predictions that the Christ was to suffer and to rise from the dead ... he also instructed them to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins ... in his name, beginning from Jerusalem (Lk 24:45-47).  Strengthened in their conviction of these truths, Jesus ordered them not to leave Jerusalem (Acts 1:4), but to wait until the Father had baptized them with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5).

Even after having been instructed in this way, the disciples were still uncertain about how their future would unfold.  When they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?' (Acts 1:6).  They still clung to human understandings of what the kingdom of God would be like.  In fact, they probably found it difficult to envision any other possibility.

Today, we have gathered in this church to celebrate the final Mass with parishioners of Our Lady of Fatima.  Like the disciples, we have some understanding of what the future will hold.  We know, for instance, that next weekend, a new parish will be established, a parish that will gather all Catholics in Elliot Lake.  Still, there is a part of us that remains uncertain about how our future will unfold, because very few of us have ever experienced this kind of change.

These are very interesting times for our community.  While one chapter is coming to an end, there is another that is about to begin, and - at least at this point in time - it's ok for us not to understand all the details.  We can look back over the past six decades and we can recall many occasions when we gathered in this place, when we celebrated significant moments in our lives, and there is a part of us that still may be reluctant to believe that any of this should change.

When he was about to leave his disciples, Jesus assured them that they would never be alone.  You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).  At this precise moment in history, Jesus is also assuring us that we are not alone.  Like the disciples, we too can rely on the power of the Holy Spirit; something new is about to take place, and we too are being called by the Lord to be witnesses of his presence, witnesses of his forgiveness, witnesses of his joy ... in Elliot Lake, in Northern Ontario ... and beyond.

The disciples could not grasp the concept of the Holy Sprit, but at some level, they trusted that what Jesus had told them was true.  They agreed to stay in Jerusalem until they had been clothed with power from on high (Lk 24:49).  Like those disciples, we too must remain faithful.  Not knowing completely what the future holds for us, we must also trust that we are not alone, but that we will have the guidance that we need.  What we are doing today is an act of faith.  Let us entrust ourselves to the intercession of Our Lady, under whose patronage we have gathered until today, and let us ask Saint Bernadette to intercede for us too, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give us a spirit of wisdom (Eph 1:17) so that together, we can continue to walk in faith and trust, hand in hand with him.