January 29, 2012
Posted in Homilies
at 9:00 am
Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 29, 2012
As we heard at the beginning of today’s Gospel, “When the Sabbath came, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught”. Along with His disciples, and as a devout Jew observing the precepts of His religion, Jesus made sure that He went to synagogue on the Sabbath. In our own way, we do the same thing – following the precepts of our Catholic faith, and following the third commandment to keep holy the Lord’s day, we come to church for Sunday Mass.
As Mark notes, the people were astounded at the authority with which Jesus taught, which was quite different from the scribes. The scribes could not possibly have taught scripture they way Jesus did. Consider the difference between a teacher who just opens the textbook and reads to the class, and one who knows the subject so thoroughly that the class can sense the knowledge and passion of that teacher. Who could know and understand scripture better than the Son of God, the Word Himself? So, of course, His teaching had an authority that no one else’s could.
Amidst the many people in the synagogue, there was another person, another presence, that recognized Jesus and His authority. As the Gospel says “There was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’”
We can imagine the tone of these words – this was not a friendly greeting. This spirit did not welcome having Jesus in the synagogue. And, we have to think that this man was not some raving lunatic, or he probably would not have been allowed to enter the synagogue. It is more likely that he was a member of the congregation, perhaps someone who was not completely possessed but who had some portion of his being that was under the influence of the unclean spirit.
Although over the years many books have been written and movies made about demonic possession, such a thing is very rare. But the influence of the evil one is not so rare, even when it may be quite subtle. How often do we hear words similar to those of the man in the synagogue: Jesus, what have you to do with us? You Christians, what have you to do with us, to tell us that what we’re doing is not in accord with God’s plan for us. You Catholics, who are you to try to point out that abortion, or embryonic stem cell research, or divorce, or our sinful sexual practises are wrong. Keep your views on contraception and euthanasia to yourself. And don’t think about working for social justice unless your program aligns with our secular agenda. What have you to do with us, anyway?
Of course, we are called to be light to the world, to help people to hear the voice of the Lord. Nevertheless, many people in our world say those kinds of things on a daily basis, and if we take a good look at ourselves, we have probably said something similar, if not quite so drastic, at some point ourselves. We are not possessed, and the primary influence may have been our pride and our wilfulness, but we do not always welcome Jesus’ authority, and the authority of His Church, into those very areas where we most need His help.
When the Church teaches us about matters of faith and morals, it is not trying to control us. We always have free will to do whatever we want. There are no Church Police lurking around the corner to force us into submission. We have been covering some of this in RCIA recently, and it is something all of us should remember. What the Church is doing is not controlling us but giving us the knowledge and guidance we need in order that we may share in the Resurrection and have everlasting life. We won’t get that from our society; we will only get that from Jesus and His Mystical Body, the Church. Jesus ordered the unclean spirit to come out of the man in the synagogue, and He wants to expel everything that may be unclean within us. But He needs our co-operation. He needs us to not harden our hearts when we hear His voice, and listen to what He is telling us. He needs us to examine our consciences in light of the faith and Church teaching, and to make use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation frequently. We need to keep holy the Lord’s Day, coming to Mass every Sunday to listen to His Word, to receive Holy Communion if we are worthy, and to worship God along with our brothers and sisters.
The authority of Jesus is not just something that we read about in the Bible, it is alive and present to us in our world today. It is the authority of God, who loves us and wants us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Then perhaps we can rephrase the words of the man in the synagogue, and say respectfully and prayerfully: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to save us? We know who you are – you are the Holy One of God.”
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January 28, 2012
Posted in posts
at 1:59 pm
THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS will be serving breakfast this Sunday, January 29th after both Masses downstairs in the church hall. Our traditional breakfast, including delicious omelettes stuffed with your favourite toppings will be served. The cost is $7 for adults, $4 for children, or $24 for families. Come and enjoy good food and fellowship.
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January 19, 2012
Posted in posts
at 2:12 pm
AN INVITATION TO THE MEN IN OUR PARISH – Saturday January 28th is the date of the next Men’s Prayer & Breakfast Gathering. We start at 8:30 a.m. in the church with about 30 minutes of prayer and faith sharing and then go for breakfast. We are usually finished around 10:00 a.m.; so it doesn’t take up your whole morning and it’s a great way to get to know the other men within our parish. If you have any questions, call Mike Sliva at 613-443-9469. We look forward to seeing you.
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January 12, 2012
Posted in posts
at 8:17 am
3 FES, CDSBEO, Knights of Columbus, SK, PGK, FDD
On Sunday January 8, 2012, Paul Beaupre of Embrun at the age of 45. Beloved husband of Gwenn (Berard). Dear father of Annemarie, Gable (d. 2002), Eva, Adam, Sydney and Desiree, grandparent to Hattie. Son of Leo and Monique Beaupre of Pembroke, brother of Pierre and David, uncle to Alexandria, Tristan and Greyson, godfather to Matheson and Jessilyn. Son-in-law of Eldon Berard (Veti) and the late Joyce Berard of Kelowna, B.C. Paul enjoyed his time as a Field Engineer in the Canadian Forces as well as a construction teacher at St. Joseph’s Catholic Secondary in Cornwall. An active member of K of C Council 12401 & Assembly 2847. Family and friends are invited to pay their respects at the Daley Family Funeral Home, 6971 Bank St.(between Scrivens Dr. and Metcalfe corner) on Thursday from 5-8 pm and Friday from 2-4 & 6-8 pm. Funeral Saturday at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, 17 First Ave. Russell beginning with Eulogies at 10:30 am. Mass of Christian Burial at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, donations made to the Gable Berard Beaupre Special Needs Fund at Mother Teresa Catholic School through the C.D.S.B.E.O. would be most appreciated by the family.
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January 1, 2012
Posted in Homilies
at 9:00 am
Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, January 01, 2012
I’m sure everyone remembers the anecdote Father Paul told us last week, about the gentleman who complained to the priest that all he ever heard when he went to church was “Christ is born” and “Christ is risen”. And what was the priest’s reply? “If you came to church more than just Christmas and Easter, you’d get to hear the rest of the story.” Well, you’re back again today, so you got to hear another part of the story.
Today’s Gospel picks up where the Gospel from Christmas Eve left off, with the shepherds finding the Holy Family in the stable, with the infant Jesus lying in the manger. We hear that these shepherds then make known what was told them about this child. What was it that the Angel said to them? “To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Christ, the Lord.” And we are told that, as any mother would, Mary treasured these words, and pondered them in her heart.
During Advent, our focus was primarily on the impending coming of Christ. And at Christmas, we celebrated His coming, His birth as a human baby. But, appropriately in the background but not forgotten, has been Mary, Jesus’ mother, and therefore, the Mother of God. We revere Mary, but she is always humbly subordinate to her Son. In our reverence for her, for this woman as holy as anyone of only human nature could be, we may not always remember that she was a mother. A mother who loved her child in the same way that all normal mothers love their children. She cared for Him, she fed Him, and together with Joseph, she taught Him and raised Him. Mary is held out to us as an example of humility and docility to the will of God; she is also an example of motherly love.
So, it is only proper that we should take this day to remember her motherhood, and that she is not just mother of the human Jesus, but that she is truly Mother of God. Jesus is fully human and fully divine, not part one and part the other. He cannot be separated. Just as He is completely present in the Host, body, blood, soul, and divinity; He is completely present in the Precious blood, body, blood, soul, and divinity. As a baby, as a child, as a man, He was completely present body, blood, soul, and divinity. At the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel told Mary that her Son “will be called the Son of the Most High” and also “the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God”. As the Son, Jesus is the second Divine Person of the Trinity.
Mary could not be the mother of Jesus without also being the Mother of God.
The title of Mary as Mother of God, or theotokos, which is ancient Greek for “God bearer”, was part of a huge controversy in the early church. Around the year 429, the monk Nestorius went so far as to say: “Hath God a mother?” “A creature brought not forth Him who is uncreated.” “A creature bore not the Creator.” His discourse was considerably longer than that, but, basically, he was saying that actually there were two sons of God, one of them divine and the other human. A priest by the name of Proclus disputed this, saying in part: “The Lord came to save, but in so doing, to suffer. A mere man could not save; a God could not die. That which was, saved; that which was made, suffered. I see the miracles and I proclaim the Godhead; I behold the sufferings and I deny not the manhood. What clearer proof could I want that Mary is indeed the Mother of God?” The Council of Chalcedon in the fall of 451 declared that Jesus was “born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God (theotokos) according to His humanity”. Christ is not just a divinized human but God become man, so if Mary is the mother of Jesus, she is also the Mother of God. Much of these early disputes were more about the nature of Jesus than about Mary’s role, but we won’t get too far into that or we’ll be here a long time. However, the things we believe about Mary are directly and inextricably connected to what we believe about Christ. Even as Mother of God, Mary does not draw the attention to herself. In her own words, she is but the Handmaid of the Lord. Mary points us to her Son, and He gives her to us. Just as he said to the Apostle John at the foot of the cross, “Behold, your mother!”, she also is our mother, who wants us to be brothers and sisters in Christ. She is a mother to whom we pray, asking her to intercede for us with her Son. The Catechism states: “In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Saviour’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason, she is a mother to us in the order of grace.” And, “by her manifold intercession (she) continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation.” Not by her own power, but through her intercession, as our mother and the Mother of God. She asks her Son on our behalf, for what child could deny his mother her legitimate request? When we pray to Mary, we are actually praying to Christ through her. That is not to say that we cannot pray to God directly, only that we have confidence in asking Mary for her assistance.
A proper devotion to Mary is truly a devotion to her Son. As Pope Benedict wrote, “She does not contest or endanger the exclusiveness of salvation through Christ; she points to it”. Remembering Mary, and her essential role in the incarnation, and therefore in our salvation, is to know another part of the story. You can come back again next week to hear the next part. In the meantime, continue to pray to our Mother Mary for her intercession. And look to her as a model to follow for humility, fidelity, and holiness.
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Homilies