November 26, 2011
Posted in pastor
at 5:30 pm
“Oh that you would tear open the heavens and come down”
Our Advent
These words from the book of Isaiah set the theme for Advent longing in our hearts. For the next four weeks, we shall through prayer, meditating on the word of God and works of charity prepare our heart and soul for the two-fold coming of our Lord Jesus: first, His coming as man, when He took on our human nature in order to save us, and His final coming at the end of time. This season of grace also helps prepare us so that God in the radiance of His glory may come more fully into our lives.
A Question
What is the single most important thing you would like to do to make this year’s Advent season unique and different from all others in the past?
Our Parish family
During this Advent leading to Christmas, the birthday of our saviour, I invite you all to reflect on the importance of the family and family prayer, and to also join me in praying for families especially those going through one difficulty or another. I also invite you all as members of the one family of God, to take part in the various events taking place in our parish this Advent.
May we always be drawn closer to Jesus the son of God.
Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus!
Fr Paul
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November 19, 2011
Posted in pastor
at 5:30 pm
By recognizing Jesus in the poor and needy, we become part of his kingdom.
Mother Teresa
When we try to think of people who have responded to this invitation in a radical manner, we think of Blessed Mother Teresa who became famous by helping the poor and destitute people living in the slums of Calcutta. Mother Teresa’s extraordinary acts of charity were motivated by her conviction that Christ lives in each and every human person especially the poor and the suffering. She stated that love, humanity and helping others selflessly were her reasons to live on earth and today she enjoys a pride of place in the Kingdom of her Master!
Heirs of the Kingdom
Today, the Solemnity of Christ the King, we acknowledge Christ as our Lord and king. And if Jesus is indeed our king, we have to pay attention to his words and respond to them not just with pious thoughts but with deeds. In other words, Jesus will never be king of our hearts unless we serve our deprived brothers and sisters as he did. The conclusion is obvious: it is not possible to be committed to Christ without being committed to the least of his brothers and sisters. The question we have to ask ourselves, therefore, is who are the hungry, the homeless, the naked, the thirsty, the prisoners, in our lives?
The New Missal
The New Translation of the Roman Missal will be used throughout the English-Speaking world as of Nov. 27, 2011 the first Sunday of Advent (next weekend!). To ensure a smooth and seamless transition, the parish is organizing a mini-workshop on Wednesday Nov. 23 at 7pm. Frs. Ingram and Donahue of the Companions of the Cross will be facilitating the session. Everyone is encouraged to attend at no cost!
May today’s feast fill us all with joy, peace and love.
Fr Paul
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November 14, 2011
Posted in Homilies
at 9:39 am
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, November 13, 2011 – By Deacon Thomas Stephenson
When we think of talents, we generally think of certain natural abilities or skills that someone has. However, the talent referred to in the Gospel, on which our current usage is based, was a unit of measure for gold or silver. One assessment is that one talent was worth about 16 years of the average persons wages, so even without trying to calculate an exact equivalent value in today’s terms, it was a LOT of money. So, the master in the parable must have been very trusting of those three slaves, or servants, and had confidence that they would use wisely what he had left in their care.
God has given us our talents, our skills and abilities, and He wants us to use them wisely. These gifts may be in the obvious areas: in art, or music, in the performing arts, in writing; or they may be in other areas that aren’t what first comes to mind when we think of talents, like the ability to be good parent, or a caring counsellor, or an effective teacher. We can also look at the attributes of the woman in today’s first reading from Proverbs 31 as examples of God’s gifts. Regardless of what gifts God has given us, we have to work to make the best use of them. A musician, a writer, an actor, a parent, or anyone that may have a God-given natural ability needs to practise and use that ability in order to develop that talent to its full potential.
The most precious gift we have from God, more valuable than the ancient talent, more valuable than any of our abilities, more valuable than all our material possessions, is the Gift of Faith. The Catechism puts it this way: “Faith is a supernatural gift from God. In order to believe, man needs the interior helps of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 179) Along with the Gift of Faith, He has sent the Holy Spirit to help us to use it well. Our faith is a treasure that God has entrusted us with, not to be buried or hidden, but to be practised and nurtured so that it may grow. God has given us this gift so that we may make the most of it, for our own benefit, for the benefit of others, and ultimately, for the Glory of God. If we just bury or hide our faith, we may as well be compared to the servant who buried what had been entrusted to him, because he had such an overwhelming fear of the master.
In the first reading, we hear “…a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised”. In the response to the Psalm, we repeated “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord”. And yet, in the Gospel, the servant is severely punished because he was so afraid of the master that he couldn’t do what he should have. On the one hand, Fear of the Lord is praised, on the other hand, the actions resulting from fear result in punishment. Why is there such a difference?
We should have a healthy, respectful, Fear of the Lord, but we should not be afraid of the Lord. St. Thomas Aquinas distinguishes between servile fear, a fear of punishment, and filial fear, as when a child has a fear of offending or being separated from his father. We should never be terrified of God, who is a loving Father who has entrusted much to us, but we should be concerned about offending Him, particularly by not using His gifts to us wisely. St Paul says “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’”. (Rom 8:15)
Currently, we also seem to be susceptible to another variation on fear, which is fear of what others think of us. This can lead us away from God, or prevent us from fully practising our faith. I read recently about an experiment comducted by some social scientists. A group of people were invited to give their opinions on some wines. What they didn’t realize is that all the wines came from the same batch, so there was no difference between the wines, with one exception. One sample had some vinegar added to it, so that it was sour, it did not taste as good as the others. Also, some of the people there were introduced as experts. Initially, of course, the people liked the other wines better than the one with vinegar, but then the experts claimed that actually the sour wine was the best one, and the other people, the non-experts, tended to fall into line with that opinion. They had a fear of what others would think, especially those they thought knew better than they did. Generally, we don’t like to feel like we are not in step with others around us. And, even if we continue to maintain our personal opinion about things when we disagree with the so-called experts, we may prefer to keep silent instead of speaking out against things that we know are not right. We may not immediately recognize this as fear, but that is what it comes down to: fear of not fitting in, fear of being thought less intelligent, fear of being mocked and ridiculed. God calls us to use our faith, “to nourish and protect our faith with prudence and vigilance, and to reject everything that is opposed to it”. (CCC, 2088) It is our responsibility, it is our duty to God, to believe and to bear witness to our faith, which includes not being silent in the face of error. Of course, it also means expressing our beliefs in a loving, Christian manner, not with belligerence but with understanding and discretion.
The third servant was paralyzed by his fear of the master. Because of this, he was unable to see even the safest way of putting the talent to use, by investing it with the bankers. He was operating out of servile fear, rather than filial fear. We should not fall into this trap. We need to have a healthy, filial Fear of the Lord. We need to allow this to motivate us to use all of His gifts, and particularly His gift of faith, wisely and confidently. Then, when the time comes, He may welcome us into His kingdom with the words, “Well done, good and trustworthy servant, enter into the joy of your master.”
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November 12, 2011
Posted in pastor
at 5:30 pm
As Christians, we are called to be followers of Christ and to imitate his way of life.
In today’s parable of the talents, one thing stands out – the slaves were giving differing talents, to each according to his ability on which the Master expects a return. It was not demanded, however, that they should do what they could not do. If they cannot be equal in achievement, they can be equal in effort! So it is with us, we are all gifted differently; born with different abilities. The test, therefore, is how we use the gifts and abilities that we have. “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” (I Pet. 4:10)
In the words of the U.S. Bishops “All temporal and spiritual goods are created by and come from God. That is true of everything human beings have: spiritual gifts like faith, hope and love; talents of body and brain; cherished relationships with family and friends; material goods; the achievement of human genius and skill; the world itself. One day God will require an accounting of the use of each person has made of the particular portion of these goods entrusted to him or her.”
The greatest gift from God is the gift of His son Jesus Christ which He gave us because of the love He has for us. As stewards, therefore, we are all called to grow and mature in this gift – loving God and one another.
May we not bury this gift in the ground, but rather, let it grow and expand and envelope our entire being.
Fr. Paul
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November 5, 2011
Posted in pastor
at 5:30 pm
As we gradually come to the end of the liturgical year, we are reminded to pay attention to those things that are essential for our salvation and to jettison those things that might debar us from seeing the face of God. To do this is to act wisely!
The chief concern of today’s liturgy is to help us form a truly Christian mentality concerning how we ought to live in this passing world so that we will be well prepared to enjoy the fullness of life which Jesus alone can give. It doesn’t matter how much fun or pleasure there is in this world, the fact still remains that this world is not our home; we are not going to live forever in it! The Lord is the “Director and Producer” of our lives, He alone will decide when our life-movie is to end. And since we know neither the day nor the hour, the wise thing to do is to pay attention; to be ready and be prepared always. We do this by imitating the example of the saints who faithfully followed Christ, the Bridegroom.
I will be remiss if I do not thank each and every one of you for your prayers during our pilgrimage to the Holy Land. What a trip! It was a dream come true! An experience I will always savour and cherish all the days of my life. All the sacred spots we visited and reading the verses connected with the sites personally helped me to achieve the full spiritual experience of the gospels. Israel, Jerusalem, the Holy land is a place worth visiting! My group and I also prayed for you and your intentions while we were there. Thank you so very much and especially for welcoming Fr. Steve who supplied for me.
May we always be aware of God’s blessings around us.
Fr. Paul
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November 4, 2011
Posted in posts
at 11:27 am
Kin Club of Russell
KRC (knights refurbishing computers) Inc
&
Russell Knights of Columbus
e-WASTE DAY – Saturday, Nov. 5th, 11 am – 2pm
17 – First Ave., Russell
Our lady of the Miraculous Medal Church Parking Lot
All forms of electronics, both working and not, are gratefully accepted -
including – radios, TVs, phones, etc.
All funds raised will be shared between:
- The KIN Club of Russell offers opportunities in a national organization of over 500 clubs across Canada ‘Serving the Community’s Greatest Need’. The KIN Club of Russell, recently chartered by the Kin Club of Orleans, joins the other Kinsmen and Kinettes across Canada in bringing awareness and providing research funds to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis as well as identifying and assisting local needs in the Russell community.
- Russell Knights of Columbus Council 12401 at Our Lady of the Miraculous medal
- KRC (knights refurbishing computers) Inc is a registered member of the Ontario Electronics Stewardship group, which has the mandate to recycle old and unwanted electronics. KRC is able to keep and re-use whatever computer equipment is feasible at these “drop-offs”, and is also given a small amount of revenue for organizing/operating, which is used for the refurbishing program.
Thank you, from all of us, for helping ‘Green’ our community!
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