His Word Today: Come out

Good morning everyone,

Like yesterday, the scripture passages for today present us with the story of Judas Iscariot, but this time, the words of another of the gospel writers.  Today, as we read this story, perhaps we are struck by the opening scene: Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and said, 'What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?' (Mt 26:15).  Judas was the keeper of the common purse - the money that was held in common among Jesus and his disciples, but there was a also another side to him, and this side comes to light today.  This is a side of him that is not spoken of in other parts of the scriptures, for it is a darker, more sinister side.  Do we not all know this to be true of ourselves?  Is there not a part of us that we too would wish to keep hidden from God ... the part of us that is imperfect but the part of us nonetheless that we would rather not surrender?

Judas succeeded in hiding that part of himself from the other disciples, but he could not keep it hidden from Jesus.  What went through Judas' mind when he heard Jesus say: ... one of you will betray me ... (Mt 26:21)?  He had been discovered.  The words Jesus speaks are clear enough.  When Judas tries to deny his guilt, Jesus simply replies: You have said so (Mt 26:25).  Without pointing out his guilt, Jesus tells Judas that he is aware of his impending betrayal.

With this same tenderness, Jesus is present to all of us, his disciples.  He is constantly calling us, inviting us to be the best that we can be.  In this time of isolation and social distancing, he is calling us to be the best husbands and wives we possibly can be, the best parents, the most loving grandparents.  He is calling us to reach out to others by means of telephone calls and through social media.  He is calling us to take care of one another in a way that we have perhaps forgotten until most recently ... and he is calling us to a renewed understanding of the tenderness with which he loves each one of us.  With great tenderness, he is calling us to bring to light all the things that we have kept hidden from him and from others ... perhaps even from ourselves ... so that he can heal them, so that he can heal us.

When we dare to allow the Lord to help us in this way, we discover a new level of joy, a renewed desire to tell others about him and about his goodness.  We rediscover the joy of knowing the risen Lord.  As we prepare to celebrate the Easter Triduum, let us ask for the grace to bring to light the parts of ourselves that we have kept hidden so that we too can speak the words of the prophet Isaiah: The Lord God has given me a well-trained tongue ... the Lord God is my help (Is 50:4, 7).

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Identity

Good morning everyone,

This year, we are being invited to live the experience of Holy Week in a way that is different from the way that we may have done so in the past: students and teachers who have been enjoying an extended Spring break are still at home with their families but are now engaging in e-learning in a way that many of them have never done before; health care workers and first responders are having to risk their lives in order to care for others in situations that have never been experienced in our lifetime; and everyone is being told to stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary for us to run errands, and even then, we must keep a safe distance between us at all times.  These new realities have changed us already to some extent, yet we can understand and accept them more easily if we always keep before us the understanding that they are part of a global call to service: each of us doing our part to flatten the curve in order to take care of our brothers and sisters.

God does work in strange ways.  Could it be that this experience is meant to give us all a new perspective?  Could it be that we are being called to see ourselves as servants of one another? Could it be that we are being invited to associate ourselves with a new identity?

The prophet Isaiah calls out to distant lands, saying to them and to us: The Lord called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me a name (Is 49: 1).  If the Lord called Isaiah to speak his words to his brothers and sisters, could it not be that the Lord is calling us to do the same?  It can be a daunting task to be called in this way.  Responding to God's invitation is something that we should never take lightly, yet the truth is that God needs every one of us to do our part: I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth (Is 49: 6).

How is God calling us?  What is God asking us to do?  These invitations come in all shapes and sizes.  Some of us are being called to explore new avenues of reaching out to children and young people, others are being asked to self-isolate, and still others are being asked to engage in more dangerous activity ... but all for the same purpose.  Our God is present even now, inviting us as he invited the disciples to play different roles, but always with the same purpose: so that God's glory might be made known.

Did Judas understand that he was being asked to participate in making God's glory known when Jesus said to him: What you are going to do, do quickly (Jn 13: 27)? Did Peter understand that even his denial would be part of helping all of us to understand that it is not always easy to follow Jesus (cf Jn 13: 36-38)?  Likewise, we may not understand how it is that God is calling us at this time to make God's glory known.  Only in the light of Easter morning will we begin to comprehend the truth of our identity as disciples.

Have a great day. 

His Word Today: Pride

Good morning everyone,

Yesterday, we entered into Holy Week.  With pageantry that is more than we would normally observe, we celebrated the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, recalling the moment when Jesus entered into Jerusalem, riding on a colt.  Like those crowds who welcomed him and shouted out their Hosannas, we too can take pride in the fact that Jesus is with us today, leading us toward the celebration of Easter that will take place this coming weekend.

The prophet Isaiah conveys words of pride today as well: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased.  Upon him I have placed my Spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations (Is 42:1).  As we read these words, which God spoke through the prophet, we can easily see that God takes delight in his servant.  These words would be repeated on the day of Jesus' baptism (cf Mt 3:17).

Further evidence of the virtue of pride is shown in the gospel for today's liturgy: six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, at the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary ... Mary took a litre of costly perfumed oil ... and anointed the feet of Jesus (Jn 12:3).  On another occasion, when Jesus and his disciples had visited this house, Mary had sat at Jesus' feet listening to his teachings.  At this time too, she was present and the pride that she had in him was evident in her gesture.  The words Jesus had spoken had evidently found a place in her heart and she had grown to trust him.  On other occasions, he had probably spoken to them about the same teachings that he also shared in public about his Father, our Father ... and about heaven.  On this occasion, knowing that he was coming to Jerusalem and that the Son of Man would suffer (cf Mk 8:31), he was probably speaking with them about this at the very moment when Mary was anointing his feet.

Did Mary understand at that moment that Jesus would be glorified through his suffering?  Did she understand that this friend of hers was truly God's son?  Were the words of Isaiah's prophecy echoing in her heart?

Today, let us ask this humble woman to pray with us too.  As we prepare for the celebrations of Easter, let us also pray for the grace to take pride in our faith, pride in Jesus, pride in his self-sacrificing love ... and let us ask him to help us to love others in this way as well.

Have a great day.

From palms to passion

Dear friends, we have begun the celebrations of the Lord's Paschal Mystery.  The liturgies of Holy Week are among the most beautiful and most meaningful occasions for us to enter once again into the passion and the resurrection of Jesus.  This Palm Sunday liturgy is unfolding in a way that is very different from the liturgy that we are used to experiencing.  Life has changed for many of us over these past few weeks and months.  The continual presence of this new coronavirus has necessitated some dramatic changes in all our lives, and the constant threat of illness and death which has struck so many of our brothers and sisters has made this year's experience of Holy Week all the more significant.

The liturgy of Palm Sunday began with Matthew's account of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  Seated on a donkey and a colt, Jesus made his way into the city while a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road (Mt 21: 7-8).  Like them, we want to celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry.  We want to greet him with words of rejoicing.  We want to call out: Hosanna to the Son of David! (Mt 21: 9), but while we are so enthusiastic, we must also admit that we sometimes have doubts.  Jesus wants to enter into our hearts, especially during this week, so that he can reassure us whenever we must face difficult moments.

While we are limited in the number of people who can be physically present for this particular celebration, we have blessed palm branches today, and these branches will be available for our parishioners to collect and to keep in their homes as is the tradition in all Christian homes as witnesses to our faith in Jesus Christ our Messiah and King and in his Paschal victory.  Those who wish to receive palms from this celebration are asked to come to the church on Sunday morning from 9:00am until noon.  Please respect all rules of social distancing as you come up the stairs of the church.

On Holy Thursday evening, we will live stream the celebration of the Mass of the Lord's Supper.  We invite you to join us on Facebook beginning at 7:00pm as we commemorate that moment in time when Jesus gathered with his disciples to celebrate the Last Supper.  The social distancing that has been imposed at this time will not allow us to gather physically for the celebration of the Easter Triduum, but we will still be able to listen once again to the story of that day when Jesus washed his disciples' feet and commanded us to wash one another's feet.

On Good Friday, we will install a large cross outside the church.  We invite you to come and to spend a few moments in prayer before the cross.  You can recite the Stations of the Cross or you can pray the rosary or you can simply spend some time in silent prayer.  The cross will be in place from 10:00am until after the afternoon liturgy is complete.  Beginning at 3:00pm, we will be together again via social media in order to commemorate together the moment when Jesus died on the cross.  This liturgy too will be live streamed on Facebook, allowing us all to partake once again in that ultimate moment of self sacrifice when Jesus gave his life for us.

On Holy Saturday, we do not gather during the day.  It is as though the whole world is sleeping with Jesus in the tomb: as we wait in anticipation for the fulfillment of Jesus' assurance that he would rise from the dead. There is a surreal character to the day, but as darkness descends, we will gather again to keep vigil, to watch and to wait.  The Easter Vigil will be live streamed beginning at 8:00pm.  Please join us if you can for this beautiful liturgy.

In the early hours of the first Easter morning, the great miracle of the Lord's resurrection was made known to the women.  Like them, we too will gather to celebrate the great joy of Jesus' triumph over death.  The Mass for Easter Sunday will be live streamed beginning at 10:00am.

The liturgies that we will celebrate this week mirror the truths of the lives we lead here on earth.  We are constantly moving between experiences of doubt and darkness into encounters that fill us with faith and hope.  In the midst of the darkness of these days, let us boldly celebrate and give thanks for the gift of our faith in Jesus Christ who suffered, died and rose to new life.

His Word Today: Alone

Good morning everyone,

As these days of social isolation and distancing march on, some of us may be finding the imposed isolation very difficult.  Even worse, it seems, is the fact that our brothers and sisters in hospitals and those who are in retirement homes have all but been denied access to visitors except in dire situations.  Especially for those who are in the final stages of life, the thought of having to be distanced from our loved ones can be very distressing.

The scripture passages for today's liturgy turn our thoughts to Jesus.  In the final days before his arrest, he too must have experienced profound loneliness.  He was surrounded by his disciples, the ones he had come to love, but knowing that his suffering was yet to come, he too would have known the agony of isolation which so many of our loved ones are experiencing now.

The words of the prophet Jeremiah must have been repeated many times in his mind: I hear the whisperings of many: 'Terror on every side!  Denounce him, let us denounce him' (Jer 20:10) ... While these sentiments may very well have been true, there was another word that was also present in his heart: But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion (Jer 20:11).  Where the first word has the potential to deflate all our hope, the second word is powerful enough to remind us that we are never alone.

Evidence of this truth is also seen in the gospel passage today.  The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus (Jn 10:31).  How terrifying that must have been!  The Judaic law did not prescribe many valid circumstances for the stoning of a man, but such cruelty would nonetheless have instilled great fear.  In that instant, when others were reaching for the instruments of torture, any human being would have felt alone, afraid.

But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion ... Did these words give Jesus strength in that moment of great isolation?  Certainly he found strength in knowing that he was not alone.  In fact, he found the strength to ask for their justification: I have shown you many good works ... for which of these are you trying to stone me? (Jn 10:32).  Even in the midst of a situation that would have paralyzed many with terror, Jesus continued to walk along the road with those who stood beside him, continually evangelizing them.  When they clarified their intentions - we are stoning you ... for blasphemy (Jn 10:33), Jesus went on to explain once again who he truly is: I am the Son of God (Jn 10:36).

Jesus never shied away from an opportunity to evangelize: to proclaim the truth of what he knew to be true about God the Father, and neither should we.  Even in moments when we might feel threatened, alone and afraid, we are never truly alone: the Lord is always with us, like a mighty champion.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Faithful

Good morning everyone,

When things are going well, we can all be tempted to get self-centred.  We have no worries.  We're loving live ... but then when life gets challenging, we can sometimes change our tune.  In some cases, the first line of defence is to blame someone else for our troubles, but this path does not make anything better for us.  Instead, we have been given a great gift, a hidden treasure which we far too often tend to forget: God has created us and he will always be faithful to us.

In the Book of Genesis, we hear the story of Abram - that was his name.  He had lived to adulthood but at this point in his life, he was still feeling unfulfilled.  Then God appeared to Abram and Abram prostrated himself (Gn 17:3) as was the custom.  God went even further: God spoke to Abram, saying: 'My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations.  No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham for I am making you the father of a host of nations' (Gn 17:4-5).  God has maintained this covenant with the descendants of Abraham ever since.

It's difficult for us to comprehend the full meaning of such a concept.  God has maintained this covenant even to this day.  How can that be possible?  That could only be possible if God were able to have a very long-ranged view: a view that spanned not one human lifetime but all of eternity ... and God is faithful to His covenant, and will remain faithful to it until the end of time.

When Jesus tried to explain this to the Jewish leaders of his time, they refused to believe him.  Never before had a human being claimed to be greater than our father Abraham, who died ... or the prophets, who also died (Jn 8:53).  Yet Jesus had dared to make such a claim: whoever keeps my word will never see death (Jn 8:51).  With these words, Jesus was not trying to upset the Jewish leaders, but rather to demonstrate God's faithfulness to the covenant that he had established.

The Christian teaching, which is based in this word that Jesus shared with the Jewish leaders, is that when our earthly journey is complete, we do not die.  Instead, we are transformed.  Our souls live on, even though our bodies do not, for our human bodies are earthly vessels which are meant to be inhabited by our souls until the day that God calls us home.  Therefore the moment of physical death is nothing but a moment of transformation: a doorway that opens so that our souls can go to heaven.  In this sense, Jesus says: whoever keeps my word - whoever remains faithful to my teachings - will never see death but rather, will live forever in heaven.

God's faithfulness to this covenant was made known to us in the resurrection of Jesus.  As we prepare to celebrate that ultimate triumph next week, let us ask the Lord to grant us the grace of marvelling at His faithfulness.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Relationship

Good morning everyone,

One of the learnings that we are discovering in the midst of this period of social isolation is the importance of relationships, especially the relationships we have with the other members of our families and the relationship we have with our God.  Each one of these is deeply personal: which is to say that each one of our relationships is profoundly connected to our own personal development.  Some of these relationships are definitely being strengthened during this time, and that is very good.

Evidence of the power of relationships is found in both the readings proposed for our prayer today.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are faithful followers of the God of Israel.  Already, before this encounter, they had discovered the joy of establishing and strengthening a personal relationship with God.  Perhaps they had learned to speak with God as humans might speak with trusted friends.  On the other hand, King Nebuchadnezzar had no such personal relationship.  Instead, he and his people would worship a golden statue (cf Dan 3:14-15), a man-made object.

As long as we have not discovered the truth of God's desire to live in relationship with us, we too will always think - at some level - of God in an way similar to that King, but our God is not made known to us in statues.  The statues that decorate our churches and our homes are reminders of people who have discovered the truth about our God: that our God is alive and active in our world, that our God wants a personal relationship with each one of us so that we too can know the joy and fulfillment of seeing our faith come alive.

Jesus tried to teach this truth to the Jews who believed in Him: 'If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free (Jn 8:31-32).  If we remain in God's word - if we have discovered the truth that our God is not a statue to be worshiped but a living reality who wants to love us and help us to discover the fulfillment that comes from being in a relationship with Him - we will truly be his disciples.

Perhaps it has taken a pandemic, a worldwide crisis, to make us hear these words in this way.  Perhaps without having been forced to rediscover the treasure with which we have been entrusted in the relationships we have discovered, we might have gone on thinking that life was defined by the number of golden statues we worship, but thankfully, this Lent, we are being invited to discover anew the beauty of living in relationships with others and with our God.

Have a great day.