Blog Archives

4/26/2020 0 Comments

Sunday Mass - April 26, 2020

Third Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2020

Today, in Luke’s gospel, we have one of the most loved stories in sacred scripture – the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus and their encounter with Jesus.

Let us take a closer look at the story. Jesus, the friend, teacher, miracle worker, healer has died. His followers were inspired and hopeful that in some way he would help the people of Israel to change – giving them a future full of hope and possibility. He was physically abused, crucified, dead and he was buried. The disciples were heading home – two of them walking together and sharing their struggles. They had heard the rumor that the body of Jesus was gone and that he had risen from the dead! But it did not touch them – it did not lift them out of their sadness and disappointment.

As they walk home – they are confused – sad – disappointed - discouraged – their hope has disappeared. They are empty. Into this pain, disillusionment and this emptiness comes Jesus. He meets them on the road – in their suffering – he meets them where they are at. We are told he shares the Word of God – sacred scripture with them. He speaks of God’s plans/promises, God’s presence and God’s activity. At a certain point in their journey, they stop for a rest and some food. They invite their guest to stay. We are told he shares a meal with them and when he breaks the bread, they suddenly understand – Jesus is alive! He is not dead! Their hearts come alive – they say their hearts are burning when Jesus was speaking to them.

Their awareness of newness, of life prompts them to turn around, after such a long journey and they head back to Jerusalem – traveling in the darkness. They share their experience with the disciples and their story becomes a part of the bigger story – a story of new life.

Throughout history we, as Christians, have been gathering stories of Jesus – stories of new life. In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. we have the blunt and yet powerful testimony of Peter – proclaiming to all that Jesus is risen from the dead. Peter makes it clear that death had no power over Jesus because he is about life!
In our second reading we hear from Peter as he writes to the early Christians. He tells them that neither their present nor their past can hold them down. Christ is risen from the dead. In Peter’s letter it is clear that Jesus leads us into relationship with God.

As this great season of Easter continues to unfold we, the Church, tell again and again the great stories of our beginnings/our origins. We tell stories of illness and healing. We tell stories of disappointment and hope. We tell stories of suffering and joy. We tell stories of absence and presence. These are stories from the early Church but they are also our stories today.

From time to time our lives are filled with illness and healing, with disappointment and hope, with suffering and joy, with absence and presence. These experiences are part of our human journey.

The disciples on the road to Emmaus were lost – somehow God was absent. Or so they thought. They were surprised when God came to them in their emptiness. Luke is clear that they did not recognize Jesus. He looked like an ordinary traveler. For the most part we experience God in and through our senses – through nature – through events and ordinary people. Often times we recognize, after the fact, that God was present – that God was with us.

Right now, we are experiencing things that we have never experienced before. We are required to self-isolate, to find new ways to communicate, to support one another and to pray. We are required to take care of each other – regardless of our background, belief system, economic status, language, religion, or job skills!

The scriptures remind us that God is present even if we cannot see God. God found the disciples not in some room at prayer. No, God found them on the road when they were down and out! We are invited to believe that God is looking for us and coming to us in our sorrow and our struggle. God is not waiting for everything to be good again! God is here with us now!

Today, in addition to being the Third Sunday of Easter, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel – a title that suggests Mary gives good advice. The Catholic Women’s League of Canada have Our Lady of Good Counsel as their patroness. Mary does not answer our prayers – Jesus does! We believe that Mary always leads us to Jesus. She always suggests that we should listen to him and do what he tells us!

The members of the Catholic Women’s League pay attention to Mary! Like Jesus, they are intent on making a difference! The CWL members go to where there is a need and they look for ways to help! They are not concerned about whether or not the folks are Catholic – they are concerned about proclaiming the Good News to those who are in need.

As our day unfolds, let us take heart – God is looking for us! As our day unfolds, let us take heart – God needs us to look out for one another. Do we know some folks who are walking along a lonely road, away from friends, away from hope; some folks who are in need of a companion?

Would we dare to walk with them and share the fire that is burning in our hearts? Would we dare to share with them our trust in the Lord who has died and is risen? Would we dare to look for them and meet them where they are at with the news that there is hope for all people?

Let us take a moment and honor our Lady of Good Counsel, the work of the Catholic Women’s League and our call to walk with one another along the roads of suffering, disappointment and loss!

Sing Immaculate Mary

0 Comments

4/20/2020 0 Comments

Second Sunday of Easter, April 19, 2020

Today the mercy of God is a backdrop to all that we read and hear in Sacred Scripture. Let us take a look at the gospel where John speaks about the fear of the disciples, the power of the Holy Spirit, the mission of forgiveness and our struggle to believe.

The gospel tells us that the disciples are in lock down – they are afraid of the authorities and the people – they are afraid that what happened to Jesus will happen to them. No doubt they are also angry at those who killed their teacher and friend.

Into a house with doors and windows locked, into the midst of their fear steps Jesus. He greets them with Peace. He shows them his wounds – it really is Jesus – and they recognize him and they rejoice. John tells us that once again Jesus greets them with peace. He reminds them that in the same way as the Father sent him, he is sending them!

He then does something remarkable! He breathes on them says John, he gives them the Holy Spirit so that they are not alone and then he gives them a mission – they are sent out to forgive – to release people from their sins! The Spirit heals them and invites them to share in Christ’s mission!

There is a twist in the story. Thomas was not there and he does not believe – he does not believe in the resurrection, the gift of the Spirit or the mission of forgiveness. Thomas is stuck! Have you ever been stuck?

Jesus appears again. He offers them peace! Jesus invites Thomas, to touch his wounds. John does not tell us what Thomas does! He does tell us that Thomas reacts to Jesus by placing his faith in him! He proclaims, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus affirms the faith of those who do not have the opportunity to place their hands in his wounds and yet believe. John tells us that Jesus did countless other signs but these are written down so that the reader might have faith and life in Jesus Christ!

Today in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the early Christians were inspired by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. They were on fire with love and kindness and simply could not do enough for one another!

Peter in his letter encourages those who struggle with faith to take a step, to trust in the resurrection of Jesus and to trust in the power of Jesus to give life!

I suspect that most Christians/Catholics who are at prayer today in the confines of their homes are struggling with faith! I suspect that our doubts and questions are not that different from the doubts and questions, the feelings and behaviors of the early disciples.

In our time – the time of COVID-19, our struggle has a very sharp focus – it is natural to question God at times like these – to express our doubts and concerns, to express our anger and frustration, our struggle to make sense out of the difference between promises and reality.

Today, sacred scripture takes us back to the beginning! The readings remind us of who Christ is and they remind us of who we are! Christ, the Son of God comes to us – meeting us where we are at – with our doubts and fears, with our denials and anxieties, with our faith and our hope and Christ gifts us with Peace! He gifts us with the promise and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

He comes to us when we are fearful, locked down and tied up with anger and resentment and he says, “Let go!” He invites us to a ministry of forgiveness. "Forgive yourself and forgive each other. If you don’t you will be stuck!"

What does forgiveness look like! Forgiveness is real and active in us when we care for each other – when we share good news with each other – when we turn to Jesus – when we are willing to touch the wounds of Jesus and when we make the effort to bring healing to the wounds we see and experience.

We are a people of faith. Christ comes to us today and reminds us that His Spirit is alive in us. Once again, he breathes on us and gifts us with his Spirit, with his peace and with his mission! It is a mission of forgiveness. Perhaps our challenge is to forgive ourselves for something we have done or failed to do! Perhaps our challenge is to forgive someone else for something they have done! Wherever we are and whatever is most important to us, is touched by the words of Jesus, “Peace be with you! Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Let us make room for Jesus and let us allow the Spirit to touch our wounds and the wounds of our brothers and sisters! Peace be with you! Receive the Holy Spirit!

0 Comments

4/12/2020 0 Comments

Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020

Last night, during the celebration of the Easter Vigil, we heard Matthew’s story of the resurrection. Today, we hear John tell the story of the resurrection. His account is a little different. Instead of the women coming to the tomb, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb - alone. She sees that the stone is already rolled away and goes in search of Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved. She reports that Jesus is gone. Mary says nothing about resurrection. Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loves take off running toward the tomb.

The other disciple gets their first. He bends down to look into the tomb and sees that Jesus is not there but the linens are there. Immediately he believes. When Simon Peter arrives, he goes into the tomb and sees that the linens are arranged in a particular way. The disciples return home. We are told that John believes the words of Jesus – that he will rise again!

The story tells us that when the disciples go home, Mary remains there at the tomb, weeping. As she weeps, she recognizes the presence of two and they ask her a question that is odd to our ears. They ask her why she is weeping. She responds that she is looking for Jesus. When she turns she sees someone whom she thinks is the gardener but it is in fact, Jesus. She recognizes him when he speaks her name. During their conversation Jesus reminds her not to cling to the Jesus she knew. Jesus tells her that he is returning to God and he gives her a task. She is sent to tell others that Jesus has returned to God. John tells us that Mary does what she has been asked to do!

In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is speaking to the early Christians, reminding them of who Jesus is and of what Jesus has done. Peter tells the early Christians – because of your baptism you are witnesses. They are to give testimony, telling anyone and everyone they can that Jesus Christ has died and is risen and that in Jesus our sins are forgiven.

In the second reading from Paul’s letter to the Colossians Paul reminds the members of the Church that since they have been baptized, raised to new life in Christ they should live their life according to the teachings of Christ. In other words, they should not be concerned only with the things that they can see and touch. They should be concerned with the things of God. Paul tells them that their life is hidden in Christ and when all is revealed they will be seen in the fullness of Glory just like Jesus Christ.

So what?

There are three gestures/actions in the readings that can make a difference in our life. They are:

Seeking/looking for Jesus
Bending down to look and to see
Doing as Jesus does

1. Seeking Jesus – The early disciples (MARY IS A GREAT EXAMPLE) and the early Christians wanted to know where Christ was, what he was doing, where he was going and what they could do to be close to him!

Who and what are we seeking? Scripture tells us we should be looking for Jesus!

2. The second gesture that is important is “Bending down to see Jesus”. In the scriptures the other disciple and Peter see and believe when they bend down to look. Bending down means putting the focus on the other! Many of us are afraid to bend down – to do difficult things – to be humble – to take in the needs of the other. We want things our way and we often believe that we are entitled to things. Bending down means letting go!

3. The third gesture from our readings that is important for our faith journey is “Doing as Jesus does”. Jesus sends Mary to share good news with the disciples. Paul reminds the early Christians to turn away from sin. Do we let Jesus send us with Good News for others?

Today the scriptures invite us to look for the Risen Jesus; they invite us to recognize that there is more to life than what we want; they invite us to do as Jesus does – to be a source of life and forgiveness.
Jesus sends us to do as he would do, to share good news in our actions and in our words.

These three gestures will change our lives and the world in which we live. When we make these three gestures a regular part of our life we will see the glory of the Risen Lord and we will become new life!

This is what God promises us. God is faithful! Jesus Christ is Risen from the dead!

0 Comments

4/12/2020 0 Comments

Easter Vigil Homily, April 11, 2020

Tonight, on this most sacred night of our liturgical year, we have the Vigil of all Vigils – the Easter Vigil. We revisit our human history, a history that is possible because of the creating and sustaining hand of our God. Our God has been made visible in various ways, in all countries, in all languages, and in all times and seasons. Our God has walked with the universe, creating, shaping, guiding, restoring, celebrating, redeeming, challenging, comforting and blessing us at every turn. Our history has been marked with suffering, a suffering that we have often created through the things we have done and failed to do. At other times we have suffered as a result of nature – storms, droughts, floods, winds, earth quakes, infestations and diseases. The suffering we experience as a result of our actions and inactions we understand and accept because we can see the connection! The suffering we experience as a result of nature confuses us because it is hard for us to understand and accept the randomness of it.

Our history has been marked with joy! At times the result of God’s gracious gifts – the birth of children, the sight of a mountain, the endless waves of the sea, a golden field of wheat, a forest, birds taking flight, sunrise and sunset, blankets of snow, a garden at harvest time, the accomplishment of a difficult task, and the sounds of human voices singing in harmony. At times our joy has come from ourselves, choices to use our gifts for the well-being of others, choices to push our minds to unlock the marvels of nature, choices to love and forgive, to be generous and patient. We have created joy by the quality and integrity of our lives. People young and old have brought forth delight and goodness on the earth. Tonight, we remember those stories and we recall that in all these stories God is present.

In the Gospel, we hear again the story of Christ’s resurrection. We hear again the surprise of Mary and her companions as they arrive at the tomb and discover the shock of their lives. The earth shakes, the angel of the Lord, garments like snow, appearance like lightning comes and rolls away the stone sealing the tomb. The soldiers guarding the tomb are stunned. They are like dead men.

We are told the angel speaks to the women and invites them to take a closer look at the empty tomb. Do they look? They are also told to go and tell the disciples that Jesus is no longer in the tomb – he is RISEN as he said he would!

Matthew tells us that they run quickly away from the tomb – filled with both fear and great joy! While they are going, Jesus stops them and He greets them! They take hold of his feet, worshipping him! Jesus repeats the message that they received from the Angel! He asks them to go to the disciples and share with them a message, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Paul in his message to the Christians at Rome tells again the story of Jesus, the power of baptism and how it is that we, each of us, share in the mission. Baptism makes us witnesses of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus and invites us to do what Jesus does. Paul reminds us that we are alive because of Christ.

So what do we make of these readings?

I was struck by Matthew’s description of Mary and her companion as they ran from the tomb – they are filled with fear and great joy! In my life, I experience both the fear and the joy of life – of God. I am amazed at how those two experiences can live side by side in my life, in my body and in my thinking. We have an amazing capacity to hold within us conflicting emotions and thoughts and actions. Our lives are often a mix of so much: good deeds and not so good deeds, good thoughts and not so good thoughts, good feelings and not so great feelings! We are not perfect! We stumble and we fall, at times moved by fear and anxiety and at times moved by great joy!

Tonight, we have lit the new fire, tonight, we bless the water, tonight, we renew our baptismal vows and tonight, unable to receive the body and blood of Jesus, we unite ourselves with him in a spiritual communion, hoping that our joy will increase and our fear will diminish.

As we live these days let us look for ways to deepen our faith – listening to music, observing nature, rediscovering our brothers and sisters through conversations, reading good books, watching movies, playing games, going for walks, solving puzzles, doing our chores, sitting in prayer, and serving one another. All these actions, these ordinary behaviours are opportunities for you and I to discover our God at work in us. We are transformed by them. At times these ordinary tasks frighten us and overwhelm us and yet they are also opportunities for us to affirm our faith in God.

As we continue the celebration of the Easter Triduum let us be aware of our fear and our great joy! Let us ask for God’s grace to be moved more and more by our great joy. Let us ask for God’s grace to let go of the fear that keeps us from telling others about Jesus, that keeps us from doing as Jesus would have us do! Lifted up by the story of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ let us bravely announce to the world, through our words, our actions, and our commitments that Christ is indeed alive and risen from the dead!

0 Comments

4/12/2020 0 Comments

Good Friday, April 10, 2020

In our first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah we have the story of someone who has been faithful to the Lord and who has seemingly been punished for his fidelity by the very people he wanted to help. Isaiah suggests that God is okay with his suffering/allows this suffering because it leads to life – for him and for the people. His suffering will not be the end of the story, however. He will be given a place with the great ones and he will be rewarded for his self-surrender, his desire to help and for his obedience to God.

In the story of the Passion as told by John we hear about the last hours of the life of Jesus, his suffering, his choices, his care for his mother, his surrender and his burial. The Gospel story of the Passion shows a Jesus who is persecuted but who embraces that persecution with courage and strength and an abiding confidence that God is in control of all things.

In our second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews the reality of Christ’s teaching, his life, his suffering and his death is talked about in clear language.

So how do these readings connect with us as we struggle to cope with COVID-19?

There is not a person on this earth who lives life without enduring suffering and pain of some sort. What we do with our pain and suffering reflects our faith vision. Pain and suffering are not a direct result of our immaturity and sinfulness. It is true that some, if not most sins that we commit are followed by some type of pain and suffering, which some interpret as an inherent punishment from God, from transgressing the law of God. When I betray someone, there is the betrayal/the lie itself followed by the loss of friends – people tend not to trust me. The result is aloneness, isolation and loneliness.

It is also true that some pain and suffering result from circumstances beyond our control. I go for a long walk and a thunderstorm comes up and I am struck by lightning. I do a good deed for someone who is struggling and rather than say thanks – they take advantage of my kindness or they throw my good deeds away like an item that is no longer useful.

If it is our custom to respond to pain and suffering with anger, revenge and resentment that is good information for us and our life of faith. Pain and suffering almost always cause us to withdraw, to protect ourselves, put up walls, seek out and eliminate the source, and dull the pain.

The response of Jesus to pain and suffering is different! His response was and is to embrace the pain and to seek out the strength and support of God. In today’s gospel story, Jesus confronts pain head on and tries to find ways to encourage others to remain faithful. Perhaps there is wisdom here for you and I.

Perhaps as we look at our world and as we hear the Pope say, the emergence of COVID-19 is perhaps the earth’s way of telling us we are bruising our bodies and our planet with our lifestyle, we might ponder the wisdom of our production and consumption lifestyle.

Rather than try to eliminate every discomfort and pain and enhance our pleasure at every opportunity, perhaps at some point it would be prudent for us to ask this question:

Can my pain teach me anything about God, the human family or the beauty of creation?

The suffering and pain of Jesus led to new life. Will ours?

Let us make use of the silence of this day to take a longer look at our lives!
.

0 Comments

4/9/2020 0 Comments

Holy Thursday, April 9th, 2020

In our first reading from the Book of Exodus, we hear the story of the Passover and how it is to be celebrated. The feast was to mark the Presence and the Protection of God for the People of Israel. Future generations were to remember the goodness of God and the way in which God cared for his people.

In the Gospel of John, we hear the story of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples and reminding them that they are to be servants of each other. Their authority and power flow not from a position or a name or a capacity for influence or money, their power and their authority come from their acts of service.

In our second reading, Paul tells the Corinthians what has been told to him. Paul recounts the words and actions of Jesus at the Passover celebration. Namely, that the bread and wine have become the Body and Blood of Jesus. They, in their turn, are to relive this moment and each time they do the bread and wine once again become the Body and Blood of Jesus. This remembrance of the Lord’s death has the power to transform them.

Here we are on Holy Thursday. What the Lord asks us to do we cannot do because of the COVID-19 virus. We cannot physically gather, we cannot present the oils consecrated at the Chrism mass as we normally would do, we cannot gather and hear the Word of God, we cannot wash feet, we cannot gather and pray for those who are most in need, we cannot receive the Body and Blood of Jesus.

This is hard for those of us who have been doing this for our whole life. It is hard for those of us who are struggling and rely on this communal prayer for courage and strength and hope. We are missing much in these times.

But what if we shift our focus and examine not what we are missing but focus on what we have? We can, from the comfort of our home watch the mass as it is celebrated – either on TV or through the internet. We can hear the word of God and we can pray for one another and through the power of prayer (our imagination) we can unite ourselves to one another. We can, during the time of communion, ask the Lord to feed us through our spiritual communion, our desire to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus.

These are extraordinary times and Pope Francis and Bishop Albert assure us that given this time of self isolation, this is the best that we can do.

This is a gift to us. In normal times there are those among us who expect perfection, who expect that at all times and in all situations, we must do certain things. These times remind us that God wants from us the best that we can give.

We are to remember and call to mind who our God is! We are to recall what Jesus has done and allow these actions and gestures of service to transform the world. We are not to be concerned about how much power we have. Our power is not about money and influence and titles – our power is our capacity to serve the needs of our brothers and sisters. In these times we are reminded that we share a bond that is physical yes – but it is beyond physical. We are connected to people we cannot see and do not yet know.

What and who connects us? Our God connects us. How? By presence, by memory, by sacred action, by word and gesture. Even now we can greet one another with a wave. We can call one another. We can pray for one another. We can pray for forgiveness and we can be forgiven. God often connects with us through our senses. God also connects with us in ways that transcend our senses. We are connected to our past, our present and our future in ways that we cannot see and touch.

This moment reminds us of that. When we celebrate the Eucharist, we are remembering who our God is and what our God does. When we celebrate the Eucharist, we hear the stories of God. We are an integral part of those stories. When we remember what Christ has done, we are strengthened and nourished so that we can do the same.

First and foremost, when we celebrate Eucharist, we are becoming more and more, intentional disciples. Celebrating the Eucharist is not about an obligation – it is a commitment to be and to do the best that we can.

It all begins at home. Simple acts of service. Actions like making our bed, cleaning our room, setting the table, doing dishes, dusting and vacuuming, taking out the trash, feeding the livestock, repairing the vehicles, greeting one another with care and concern, respecting one another’s property and encouraging each other to be their best self even when that person is radically different from me. These actions of service at home signal who we are. The Eucharist calls us to be servants of one another and it all begins within our home.

While we cannot gather to receive the word, the body and blood of the Lord, we can celebrate each other, and we can be Eucharist for each other. We can signal once again our desire to be intentional disciples. Will we do a perfect job? Probably not! We do the best we can.

Figuratively, we wash feet. We let go of our title, mom, dad, oldest, smartest, most athletic or best gamer and we reach out and we care for one another. This is what makes us who we are, intentional disciples of Jesus, sons and daughters of God.

0 Comments

4/5/2020 1 Comment

Palm Sunday, April 5th, 2020

Today, as parish families, we would normally bless the palms, tell the story of the Triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and then process into the church. We would then listen to the readings from scripture and we would be most attentive to the telling of the Lord’s Passion, followed by the rest of the Eucharistic Celebration (profession of faith, intercessions, preparation and presentation of gifts, the Eucharistic prayer, the communion rite and dismissal).

Today most of us will take part in a shorter virtual celebration but the spirit in which we gather and the wisdom of the scriptures prevails and together we do well to listen and ponder the words of our sacred authors.

In the text from our First Reading, Isaiah talks about what God has done for him – giving him the tongue of a teacher so that he can sustain the weary, waking him every morning to listen because God has opened his ear. He talks about how he has suffered, giving his back and his face to those who brutalized him. He sees his suffering not as a punishment, a shaming or a disgrace but rather an opportunity to display his obedience to God; his love and faithfulness.

In the Gospel, Matthew tells the story of Jesus, the story of his betrayal, the Supper, the suffering in the garden, the arrest, the fear of the disciples, the encounter with the high priests, the betrayal of Peter, the despair of Judas, his encounter with Pilate, the condemnation of the crowds, his walk to Golgotha, his final words, his death and his burial. It is a gripping story that tells of our sinfulness, our weakness, our fear, our hope, God’s promise and the Presence of God and the struggle to see and trust that the Presence of God will see us through the pain and suffering.

In our Second Reading, we have the beautiful hymn from Philippians where Christ willingly embraces his humanity and makes himself vulnerable before all people and before God. The hymn ends with the exultation of Christ. He surrendered everything and he is given everything by the God of the Universe. The whole of creation responds with praise and thanksgiving and in so doing glorifies God.

In the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic the whole human race is definitely suffering. The burden of this suffering is falling primarily on the poor – those who do not have ready access to health care, solid support systems or resources with which to access the many tools needed for survival and well-being. While the virus does not pick any one person over another, we know that the poor have less access to resources than do the rich. In addition, it is the poor who suffer the most from the downturn in the economy – they have no investments as they manage their lives from week to week and day to day.

When we read sacred scripture, we are told repeatedly that God has a deep care for the poor, for those who are sidelined by mainstream society. Those who cannot help themselves, those who have drifted away from God, those who have made choices to alienate themselves from God, God pursues them leaving behind the righteous to seek and to find the lost.

It is for these, that Jesus surrendered his life. It is for these that Jesus was willing to undergo suffering, abandonment, crucifixion and death. His faithfulness speaks of God’s love for us. His faithfulness teaches us who we are called to be, who we are becoming; his faithfulness reminds us of who we are. As Christians, we are on a journey toward taking on the generous kind of life that Jesus lived.

Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week invites us to deepen the commitments we have already made. Palm Sunday, this feast wherein the faithfulness of God is on full display in Isaiah and in Jesus, calls us to trust in the goodness of God even in the midst of our suffering and the suffering of our brothers and sisters. Right now, as we struggle with COVID-19, as our fears rise to the surface, as our anxiety inhibits our faith, we are invited to trust God. We are invited to trust God not because everything is going to be nice and easy. We are invited to trust God because God always brings forth new life. When our cries are silenced, our possibilities shut down and there is no obvious hope, new life emerges from death. Between our now and this new life stands the cross. It is ours and it is inevitable.

Today, and in the days to come we will watch sister and brother take up crosses that are heavy and unwieldy, we will watch sister and brother fall under the weight of their suffering. As Isaiah reminds the People of Israel, as Paul reminds the Philippians, that is not the end of the story. With each of our stumbling steps there is one who has gone before us, one who is with us and one who will welcome us into the Communion of Saints. As we pray today, let us cling to the hope of glory and of new life, offered in Christ Jesus the Lord. Death is not the end of our story!

1 Comment

Fr. Doug Jeffrey, OMI
Each week I will post my homilies in the hope of nurturing a love of sacred scripture, of our God and of our journey as disciples of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Perhaps these reflections will lead us to a greater and deeper commitment to love one another and our Earth!

YOUR CART

Sunday Homilies

Sunday Mass - April 26, 2020

Second Sunday of Easter, April 19, 2020

Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020

Easter Vigil Homily, April 11, 2020

Good Friday, April 10, 2020

Holy Thursday, April 9th, 2020

Palm Sunday, April 5th, 2020

Archives

Categories

YOUR CART

​Sunday Homilies

Sunday Mass - April 26, 2020

Second Sunday of Easter, April 19, 2020

Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020

Easter Vigil Homily, April 11, 2020

Good Friday, April 10, 2020

Holy Thursday, April 9th, 2020

Palm Sunday, April 5th, 2020

​

Archives

Categories

Sunday Homilies