December 24, 2011
Posted in pastor
at 2:03 pm
“And the Word became flesh and lived among us…”
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Christ. It is a time we set our minds and hearts to Bethlehem to behold and adore the new born king! Today, we call to mind God’s immense love for us. The reason that Christ took flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary is to establish us in friendship and intimacy with God. God wants to enter into a life-giving and personally relationship with us that he sent us his son to be our brother and our saviour.
Jesus came to set us free
What happened at Christmas is a powerful reminder that we are very important to God, each and every one of us. By sending his son, God reaches out to our helpless and broken world. The best way to celebrate Christmas, therefore, far from over indulging in excessive eating and drinking, is to accept this super precious gift! It is only by accepting this little child lying in a manger that we can be healed of our misery and brokenness; that we can be completely happy and indeed be free from the shackles of sin and death.
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who in one way or the other helped the parish this Christmas. A special thanks to all our sacristans, altar servers, choirs, decorating committee, our office volunteers, ushers, indeed everyone! Your hard work and dedication is quite appreciated and will never go unrewarded by God. Trust me!
On a personal note, I will be going home (Nigeria) to visit with my family from Jan. 2nd through to the first week of Feb. (At least to shorten my winter). Please say a little prayer for me that I may go in peace and come back in safety and in good health. And please welcome Fr. Gordon Maclean!
Wishing everyone a merry Christmas and a fantastic 2012.
Fr. Paul
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December 18, 2011
Posted in pastor
at 7:49 am
“Hail, Full of Grace”
Today’s liturgy invites us to reflect on Mary, the woman of advent, our mother and our model!
God’s Choice
God freely chose Mary to be the mother of his only son. It was God’s choice that made her “Full of Grace”. If grace was God’s gift, Mary was full of God’s gift! And we do not have to ask what she did to deserve that: she didn’t do anything to deserve it, because it was sheer gift, as someone rightly put it, “gifts and favours reflect the generosity of the giver and not the worthiness of the receiver.” Therefore, today, what we are celebrating is the extravagant love of God who freely chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus.
Saying “Yes” Like Mary
The beautiful story of the Annunciation, the Angel Gabriel bringing to Mary the Good News that she will be the mother of his son, is a great reminder of the magnificent things that God can do with each one of us if we give him the permission, if we give him the opportunity, if we like Mary, say: “Here I am, the servant of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word”, and mean it. Like Mary, God has chosen each and every one of us; he has a role for each of us and now he waits for our response.
Christmas Carolling
All are welcome to the last lap of our parish Advent events this Wednesday at our parish church, starting at 6 PM.
May the Blessed Mary intercede for us always so that we might be full of grace and do the will of God.
Fr. Paul
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December 10, 2011
Posted in pastor
at 5:30 pm
Advent is a time we anticipate the coming of Christ our redeemer whose presence gives us joy every day.
“Rejoice Always”
On this Gaudate Sunday, we are called to rejoice, to be joyful for the Lord our God will come to save us, bind our wounds, heal our brokenness, release us from the snares of sin and darkness, wipe away every tear from our eyes. St. Paul in our second reading today invites us to always be joyful! We are joyful when we live in peace and harmony with one another. We are joyful when we allow justice to flourish in the land. We are joyful when we share our bread with the hungry and clothe the naked.
A Question
In what way or ways have you experienced the joy of the Lord in your life? What was the experience like for you?
Advent Penance Service
Advent is a time to “make straight the way of the Lord.” John the Baptist was the one sent by God to prepare His people for the coming of His son. And so the people went to him to be baptized after confessing their sins. The best way of preparing the way of the Lord, therefore, is to rid our hearts, through the sacrament of reconciliation, of those clutters that may impede Christ from coming into our hearts, so as to make room for Him. So please join us next Wednesday, December 14 at 7 pm for our Parish Advent Penance Service.
Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus and fill us with your life and your joy!
Fr. Paul
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December 3, 2011
Posted in pastor
at 5:30 pm
Advent is a time we anticipate the coming of Christ our redeemer who comfort his people and bless them with peace.
The Lord is Near
John the Baptist announcing the Lord’s coming said: “The one who is more powerful than I is coming…” John was a prophet, the last of them. The one who is to come is Jesus Christ, not just another prophet, but the saviour of the world, who came to right the wrongs of the world and firmly re-establish a relationship of love and friendship between God and the human race. Through his birth, death and resurrection, Jesus bridged the gap separating humanity from God.
Keep Christ in Christmas
I appeal to you brothers and sisters to remember the reason for this season. This appeal is not heeded merely by making sure that our Christmas cards and stamps depict a nativity scene or even by placing a crib next to the tree. These things are fine and we should do, but they have meaning only if we do them with the realization of why God the father gave us the first Christmas gift, his own son, wrapped in the womb of Mary. As we wait for the Lord in joy and hope, may we always have faith in what he came to accomplish.
Thank You
Thanks to our Knights of Columbus council 12401, for purchasing and donating the New Translation of the Roman Missal to our Parish. And thanks also to everyone for a good start which wasn’t bad at all. Please let us continue to be patient with one another as we go through this phase.
May the Lord Jesus fill our hearts with his peace and love.
Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus!
Fr Paul
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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 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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October 22, 2011
Posted in pastor
at 5:30 pm
Jesus reminds us today of the great commandment of love: love of God and love of neighbour.
God is Love
We must love God with our whole heart, all the time, in little things as well as in big. In his encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI emphasizes the unbreakable bond between love of God and love of neighbour. According to him, “One is closely connected to the other that to say that we love God becomes a lie if we are closed to our neighbour or hate him altogether.” Love of neighbour is, therefore, a “path that leads to the encounter with God that closing our eyes to our neighbour also blinds us to God.”
The Mass
In and through the mass we discover our true identity, we realise who we are – community of believers, family of God, united in and through love. In the mass we pray and sing songs, a way of telling God we love him. In Holy Communion we come into intimate contact with our God who is love through the precious body and blood of Christ.
Mission Sunday
Today is mission Sunday, a day set apart for us to think about our fundamental mission as Christians: to preach the gospel of Christ so that all people may hear and believe and be baptized and ultimately come to the Eucharist and be saved. Through baptism we are called to be missionaries and to support the Church’s missionary endeavours. As someone rightly said, some give to mission by going while some go to mission by giving. Let us pray today and indeed always that the church’s missionary activities may meet with resounding success.
May we always be open to doing God’s will in our lives.
Fr. Paul
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October 15, 2011
Posted in pastor
at 5:30 pm
As Christians we are called to be followers of Christ, to live the way he lived and to endeavour to love others the way he did.
Today’s gospel passage is a great reminder that all that we are and all that we have comes from God and ultimately belongs to Him. As good stewards, therefore, we are obliged in conscience to give God what is His without holding back anything. Today in faith we have come to offer ourselves completely to Him as Jesus did on the cross of Calvary. The question I would like us to ask ourselves is: what is it that is holding me back from committing my entire life to God and of recognizing Jesus as the author and finisher of my faith?
Chosen in Christ
“He (God) has chosen you”, says St Paul in today’s second reading, to be his witness in a world that is more and more political and less and less religious. We are, therefore, challenged and our faith tested everyday. In such situations all we have to do is to look to Jesus, look to the traditions of the early church, look to the Holy Spirit and say “Yes” as Mary did to God who has chosen us in Christ.
P.S. Thank you Fr. Joe for making out time to come and celebrate the Holy Eucharist with us and to on behalf of the archbishop install me as the 18th pastor of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal parish.
May God grant success to the work of our hands and may He help us to be good citizens of this world and of the world to come.
Fr. Paul
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