THIS WEEK'S HOMILY

24th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C) September 15, 2013

MERCY WITHIN MERCY WITHIN MERCY

A few years ago, my friend Fr. Don Bolen, was chosen to be bishop of Saskatoon. When asked for his episcopal motto typically a Latin phrase taken from the Scriptures Bishop Don chose a phrase inspired by an imagined conversation between God and the prophet Jonah, as related by Trappist monk and mystic Thomas Merton: I have always overshadowed Jonah with my mercy. Have you caught sight of me, Jonah my child? Mercy within mercy within mercy. This is the vision of God portrayed by our Gospel this weekend, in the timeless story of the Parable of the Prodigal Son: a Father who waits, arms outstretched, unconditionally loving, for the return of two sons who have drifted away: one physically, the other spiritually. It is also at the heart of the vision put forward by Pope Francis since his election last March, when he chose as his motto: Miserando atque eligendo , a text inspired by the Gospel call to Matthew: Looking upon him with mercy, Jesus chose him. Indeed, when Pope Francis went to World Youth Day in Rio last July, the biggest press coverage was not of the 3.7 million faithful who attended Mass at Popacabana beach. It was of an impromptu press conference on the flight back to Rome, in which he spoke of the need for a compassionate response to the situation of gays and lesbians, of divorced and remarried Catholics in the Church, with the phrase: Who am I to judge? He went on: "Mercy is a larger theme than the question you raise. I believe this is the time of mercy. There are many problems in the church the bad example of some priests, corruption, clericalism these have left many wounds. The church is a mother: she must reach out to heal the wounds, with mercy. The Lord never tires of forgiving, and we don't have any other path than this one. As a mother, the church must find mercy for everyone. When the Prodigal Son returned home, his father didn't say: Sit down. What did you do with the money? No, he held a party. When the son was ready to talk, they talked. The church must do the same. Its not enough just to wait for them to return: we must go and seek them. This is mercy. I believe that our time is a kairos of mercy. In using the word kairos, Pope Francis announces that NOW is the time of mercy, the moment in history in which God's plan for salvation is unfolding. Gods plan IS mercy and compassion.

23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (C) September 8, 2013

PUTTING GOD FIRST: PEACE ON EARTH

What strange readings today! Is Jesus really saying that to be his disciple, we are supposed to hate our parents, siblings, spouse and children, and our very lives? So what is Jesus really telling us here? Although we know that God is supposed to take first place in our lives, it is so easy to move God to the back burner, as we deal with the pressing demands made upon us by our many work, family, and social commitments. Then, when we are exhausted, instead of drawing strength from prayer, from a life rooted in God, we follow the path of least resistance: we distract ourselves with TV, Internet, or mindless forms of entertainment, instead of discerning Gods will for the right investment of our time, talent, and treasure. I know that I am frequently guilty of this. Are you? One concrete way in which we can manifest our desire to put God first is to respond positively to Pope Francis invitation to pray and fast for peace throughout the world, particularly in conflict-ridden Syria. In his Angelus message this past Sunday, he appealed to the world to join him in a vigil for peace in St. Peters Square this weekend, as the Church celebrates the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace:

There are so many conflicts in this world which cause me great suffering and worry, but in these days my heart is deeply wounded by what is happening in Syria. Therefore, I have decided to call for a vigil for the whole Church, a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, in the Middle East, and throughout world. Humanity needs to see these gestures of peace and to hear words of hope and peace! War never again! Never again war! Peace is a precious gift, which must be promoted and protected. All men and women of good will are bound by the task of pursuing peace. I make a forceful and urgent call to the entire Catholic Church, and also to every Christian of other confessions, as well as to followers of every religion and to those brothers and sisters who do not believe: peace is a good which overcomes every barrier, because it belongs all of humanity! Pope Francis also reminds us: It is neither a culture of confrontation nor a culture of conflict which builds harmony within and between peoples, but rather a culture of encounter and a culture of dialogue; this is the only way to peace. Let us ask Mary to help us to respond to violence, to conflict and to war, with the power of dialogue, reconciliation and love. She is our mother: may she help us to find peace; we are all her children! Help us, Mary, to overcome this most difficult moment and to dedicate ourselves each day to building in every situation an authentic culture of encounter and peace. Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us! So in union with Pope Francis, let us pray, fast, and work tirelessly for peace: in our hearts, homes, and world. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me!

Homily - 22th Sunday of O.T., Year C

St. Monicas August 31/ September 1, 2013

Sirach 3:17-29: The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly: God is glorified by the humble. Psalm 68: In his goodness, God makes a home for the poor. Hebrews 12:18-24: Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant: not in flashy signs, but in simplicity and intimacy with God. Luke 14:1,7-14: Make your way to the lowest seat ... when you have a party, invite the poor ... if you exalt yourself, you will be humbled; if you humble yourself, you will be exalted.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Humility: what does this word mean? In a world where success, achievement, and self-realization are the dominant ideals where appearances are important, where we are subtly encouraged to be always "looking out for no. 1" how do we hear the message of Jesus addressed to us today? Indeed, humility is an under-appreciated virtue. There are, I suppose, good reasons for this. Throughout the ages and in the church in particular the concept of humility has sometimes been misunderstood and misinterpreted. Too often, we confused humility with humiliation: with putting ourselves (and others) down, with failing to recognize and affirm our giftedness, in the name of suppressing pride or self-importance. In fact, genuine humility has very little to do with any of this. Looking more closely at the word itself, we get a sense of its deeper meaning. The word "humility" shares the same roots as the words "human" and humour", which in turn derive from the word "humus" (earth). To be humble, therefore, is to be in touch with our humanity, with a realistic grasp of both our strengths and our weaknesses. To be humble is to be down-to-earth, without pretention, grounded. And this is what gives us the capacity to not despair at our flaws and weaknesses, but to be able to laugh at them, to maintain a sense of humour which, in my humble opinion, is one of the best signs of sanity and humanity. If you can laugh at yourself, at your

weaknesses and foibles, there is always hope. Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast expresses this connection well: If we accept and embrace the earthiness of our human condition with a good dose of humor, then we shall find ourselves doing so with humble pride. In our best moments, humility is simply pride that is too grateful to even think of looking down on anyone. In her witness last weekend, Odette spoke powerfully about the new hope that many people in the church are experiencing through our Holy Father Pope Francis. In reflecting on this, I realized that one of the things I love best about our new Pope is his genuine humility, his lack of concern with the trappings of power, his desire to connect with everyday people, and his ability to laugh at himself. We have heard this in his teaching, but most clearly, we have seen this in the witness of his example. We saw it the night of his election: in his choice of the name Francis, expressing his commitment to the poor and lowly of this world; in his refusal of ermine capes and red Gucci shoes, preferring the simple white cassock and the solid black orthotics which help him stand on his feet longer; in his choice to get on the bus with the other Cardinals instead of a chauffeur-driven limousine; and perhaps most powerfully, in his bowing before the people of Rome and asking for their blessing, before he blessed them. The examples seem too numerous to mention. Think of that image of Pope Francis kneeling to wash the feet of young inmates in a Roman prison on Holy Thursday young men and women, Christians and Muslims and nonbelievers alike. Most recently, we have seen this in his predilection for picking up the phone and calling ordinary people: his shoemaker in Argentina, the owner of the kiosk in Buenos Aires that delivered his daily paper, a young doorman at the Jesuit motherhouse in Rome, a teenage boy in Rome whose brother was murdered and was struggling in his faith. Just this week, the Pope telephoned a 44-year old woman in Argentina who was a victim of rape. She reported that the Pope spoke to her for half an hour, and listened attentively as she shared the story of her difficulty in bringing her assailant, an officer of the local police, to justice. They spoke about justice and forgiveness, about faith and trust. I am sure that Pope Francis knows that he receives thousands of letters each day, and that there is no way he will ever be able to respond to them all. But the way in which he chooses to respond to these requests speaks very powerfully to me. As many of you know, I turned 50 this past spring, and this weekend, I am celebrating the 22nd anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. Although in my heart of hearts, I like to think that I am not attached to privileges or possessions or prestige, when I am honest with myself, I can see the ways in which I take certain things for granted: things as simple as having my laundry done and my house cleaned for me, as being invited out to a restaurant or to someones home for dinner without feeling the need to reciprocate; being treated with a certain deference or respect; being able to afford to travel every year for a foreign holiday; even something as simple of being put at the front of the dinner line at a parish social function or reception after a baptism or funeral. It is so easy for me, as a priest, to think that somehow I am owed certain things, that these are compensations for other things that I may have given up. It is also easy for me as a priest to crave, in the secular sense, advancement within the church, higher positions of respect and authority, and to feel disappointment if these do not come my way. But this is clearly not the way of Pope Francis. Nor is it the way of Jesus, our Leader: the One who came not to be served, but to serve, and to lay down his life for us. St. Paul tells us that Jesus did not cling to his equality with God, but humbled himself; Jesus fully embraced our human condition, coming among us not as someone rich and powerful, but as a servant, as one who embraced the poor and marginalized, the sinner and the outcast; identifying with them, associating with them, showing how they teach us what it means to live in right relationship with God. In this light, we can better appreciate what Jesus is about in the Gospel today, which takes place in the context of a festive meal to which he has been invited. In Lukes Gospel, Jesus is often seen eating and

drinking. The company varies. It can be a private meal with friends like Martha and Mary, or a fraternal gathering with his disciples. At other times, Jesus is the guest of the public pariahs of his society: tax collectors, lepers, prostitutes, and outcasts. Here, we see Jesus dining with wealthy and influential people. He is being watched closely by the lawyers and the Pharisees, always eager to judge people and put them into boxes. So Jesus, keen observer of human nature, watches them in turn. What does he see? Jesus notices that even in this seemingly friendly social gathering, people are jockeying for place, marking their territory. Jesus treats the situation with a certain humor, but he is not amused. For in Jesus social circle, in his Fathers Kingdom, such behavior makes no sense and has no place. Jesus comes to proclaim the radical equality of the children of God: inequality, discrimination, and exclusion are offensive to his Father. And so, Jesus follows up his parable with a direct instruction. Do not do good only to be noticed by others. Do not show hospitality in hope of reciprocity, as a way of getting ahead in the world. Invite the poor, the lonely, the outcast, the friendless. Reach out to the genuine needs of others, and not just to satisfy your own need for attention, status, or stimulation. Jesus' vision of humility does not involve putting ourselves - or others down. In allowing the Lord to affirm us and love us as we are, we avoid the temptation of feeling we have to pretend to be someone we're not. To be humble is to accept the truth of who I am: in my strengths and weaknesses, in my giftedness and in my vulnerability, I am called to recognize the God who has created me, who loves me, and who has a special plan for me and for every other person with whom I share this planet. We don't have to compete with others for special privilege before God. God loves each of us uniquely and personally - and yet equally. In our reading from the letter to the Hebrews, a powerful contrast is placed before us. The first is the image of a terrifying God, shrouded in cloud and darkness, a blazing fire, a voice so loud and harsh its hearers are left cowering, fearful of approaching any closer. The second is the image of Mount Zion: the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, a place of joyful song, of the angels and saints gathered to feast, of the spirits of the righteous made perfect; of Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. This is the place to which Jesus, who is gentle and humble of heart, desires to lead us. This is the Kingdom he has prepared for us. Todays Gospel speaks of a feast to which the poor, the lame, the blind are invited. In our own poverty, weakness and sinfulness, we too are called to that feast today. We come with humility: we say "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, to have you come into my heart, my body, my life." But we come forward anyway. Why? Because it is God who makes us worthy. Because Jesus has spoken his healing word to us: a word of mercy and simplicity, of gratitude and humility. So with the boldness born of true humility, let us claim our place at the Lords table. Right here! Right now!

22nd Sunday (C) September 1, 2013

THREE LITTLE WORDS: JESUS PRAYER - WITNESS

In our readings today, Jesus reminds us that humility is the path to the Kingdom of God. Humility is not a very popular concept today. We confuse it with humiliation, with being a doormat, with putting ourselves down. But humility is really about being down to earth. Humility is being rooted in the self-knowledge that comes when we acknowledge that all we have, and that all we are, is a gift of God. It is an invitation to shifting my focus away from me, myself, and I, to the Holy Trinity: inviting God into that place in my heart which God alone can fill. In her witnessing last Sunday, Odette gave us some very helpful advice from Pope Francis about how to do this. Put on faith, and your life will take on a new flavor, it will have a compass to show you the way; put on hope and every one of your days will be enlightened; put on love and your life will be like a house built on

rock, your journey will be joyful, because you will find many friends to journey with you. She also reminded us, as we prepare for the launching of our three-year evangelization plan, of Pope Francis Pentecost message about how we can communicate faith effectively today? I shall answer with just three words. The first: Jesus. What is the most important thing? Jesus. If we forge ahead with our own arrangements, with other things, with beautiful things but without Jesus we make no headway, it does not work. Jesus is more important. We are true evangelizers when we let him guide us. Letting ourselves be led by Jesus. Jesus is our leader. The second word is: prayer. Looking at the face of God, but above all - realizing that he is also looking at us. The Lord looks at us. He looks at us first. My experience is what I feel in front of the tabernacle, when I go in the evening to pray before the Lord. Sometimes I nod off for a while; this is true, for the strain of the day makes you fall asleep, but he understands. I feel great comfort when I think of the Lord looking at me. We think we have to pray and talk, talk, talk.... No! Let the Lord look at you. When he looks at us, he gives us strength and helps us to bear witness to him. And the third word: witness. Faith can only be communicated through witness, and that means love. Not with our own ideas but with the Gospel, lived out in our own lives and brought to life within us by the Holy Spirit. There is, as it were, a synergy between us and the Holy Spirit, and this leads to witness. The Church is carried forward by the Saints, who are the very ones who bear this witness. PARISH EVANGELIZATION RETREAT: JESUS, PRAYER, WITNESS Inspired by these words of Pope Francis, we have invited Fr. Guylain Prince OFM, a dynamic Franciscan preacher and biblical scholar, to lead our parish in a retreat day this coming Saturday, September 21st, beginning at 9 a.m. and concluding with the 4 p.m. Mass. Please mark your schedules and make every effort to be there! Nourished by our faith in Jesus, rooted in prayer, and joyful in our witness, let us embark together upon this adventure of the New Evangelization!!

HOMILY 21ST SUNDAY YEAR C - ODETTE QUENNEVILLE

If we are seeking to follow Christ, then the readings we hear today should invite us to reflect more deeply on the spiritual journey we have embarked upon. We have all prayed with the scriptures that speak to us of a loving, forgiving and welcoming God; a God who sacrificed His only Son for our sins; a God who rejoices in the return of the prodigal son; a Father who knows every hair on our head and who has carved our name in the palm of His hand. These readings always touch my heart and make me want to draw ever closer to my loving God, my Abba, my Father and my Creator. Todays readings remind us that our relationship with God requires us to respond, make choices and truly follow the steps that Jesus walked before us. As a child I loved hearing stories of Jesus and the great things he did for others, bringing hope and healing to people who were sick, lonely and rejected. Like the disciples I too felt a fire burning within me when I was in Jesus presence. If felt Him with me when I sat before the Blessed Sacrament, when I spent time in silent prayer and when I walked in the fields and woods that surrounded the peaceful little village of St. Raphaels where I grew up. Jesus was my best friend and He taught me about faith, hope and love. In Him, I came to know the unconditional love of our Father. In my adult years I encountered many people who were disillusioned by the church and no longer felt a desire to belong to a church community. This was hard for me to understand, as I could not imagine every being distanced from Jesus love. Believe me I know the church is not perfect! I know firsthand of the internal politics, the abuse of power and even the sexual abuse scandals that have plagued our church and have caused many to turn away from their faith. Still, I believe that Jesus love is the ONLY thing that can

bring healing to our broken world. A priest I know once told me that we must hate sin, but love the sinner. We are all children of God and called to love one another at all times. Sin exists in our world but it is not of God. We must reject sin, but not individuals. Jesus loved the sinners, not because He approved of their actions, but because He saw past the actions through to their heart. A few years ago my marriage of 26 years came to an end. I had been actively involved in my church community, had witnessed to the sanctity of marriage and the importance of prayer in family life. As a result of my divorce, I felt that I had let my family down as well as my God and those I had ministered to. I felt embarrassed and ashamed. This was a time in my life when I needed my church community the most but instead, I felt alone, abandoned and totally shunned by those I had frequently worshipped with. For the first time, I understood how people might feel hurt and/or anger towards the church. I understood the words spoken by St. Teresa of Avila when she said to Jesus, if this is how you treat your friends, it is no wonder you have so few. As a result, I distanced myself from the church because I felt, if this is how one is treated when one gives ones life to the church then I did not need this in my life. This was the darkest moment I have ever experienced. Throughout this dark time, Jesus always remained with me, allowing me time to heal, but all the while stirring in me a desire to be in union with Him again. Despite the pain I felt, I LOVED JESUS and deep down I knew that leaving the church was not the answer. Since that time, I have often wondered what carries some people through difficult and painful experiences and others not? What it is that can keep us from turning our backs on those who hurt us? What gives us the desire to forgive and be forgiven? As I consider todays readings and the reference to the narrow path, I believe God is reminding us to seek to be at peace with our God, our neighbor and ourselves. It is a path that few chose to take, not because God only choses a few, but rather because it is so much easier to be angry and to hold on to grudges than it is to seek healing and forgiveness. However, in my own personal experience, it was even more painful to live in the absence of Gods love. It is so easy to go off this path and to justify our actions or reactions to others. It is so easy to point a finger and to say its someone elses fault. It is so much harder to stand in humility and to put ones own pride aside in order to be an instrument of healing. It is not enough for us as Christians to simply attend mass while we continue to harbor anger towards another. Nor is it enough to give alms, to fast during lent, or to attend Holy Days of obligations and receive the sacrament of reconciliation on a regular basis. We need to do so much more if we are to enter this narrow path we need to be truly transformed inside and out in order to live as Christ teaches us. Jesus gave His disciples one commandment, and it is probably the hardest one we will ever have to follow this commandment is to Love your neighbor as yourself. My dear friends, we are all wounded healers and Christ and His church needs all of us. Jesus needs men and women of all ages who can stand in faith and say YES to Christ! We realize injustices have been made corruption has occurred and evildoers have gotten away with doing bad things, however, our God calls us to forgive and to love. He calls us to hate the Sin and love the sinner. All of us have experienced some pain in our lives and I am sure, like me, some of you might even feel that the church played a role in the pain you feel. However, if we believe that the church is made up of ordinary people like you and I (and yes, even the priests, bishops and the pope are ordinary people chosen by God to share His love with our hurting world), then I believe we also share in the responsibility of seeking healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. We are made for love, not for hatred and anger. The church is not perfect and nor are we. Today I feel a renewed sense of enthusiasm, joy and excitement for our Church. Our newly elected Pope Francis gives me hope. His words and actions fill me with excitement. I feel the flame of Jesus presence burning again in our church. I feel hope and today I pray fervently that all of us may want to join Pope Francis in his mission to renew the church.

Recently during the WYD at Copacabana Beach, Pope Francis challenged the young people of the world. He said, today Christ asks each of us again: Do you want to be my disciple? Do you want to be my friend? Do you want to be a witness to my Gospel? In this Year of Faith, these questions also invite us to renew our commitment as Christians. Are we filled with enthusiasm for our faith? Or do we simply come to church, hoping to fulfill our obligation and as such, hopefully secure a place in Heaven? It would be wrong for us to read this gospel simply for historical interest. Rather, these words are addressed directly to each one of us here today. It is vital that we as Catholics not think that simply on the basis of our membership and belonging to our Church that we will make it through that narrow gate. That would be very presumptuous on our part and we could very well hear the words spoken in the scripture when Jesus said, I do not know who you are. Listen to the following words spoken by Pope Francis he says; put on faith, and your life will take on a new flavor, it will have a compass to show you the way; put on hope and every one of your days will be enlightened and your horizon will no longer be dark, but luminous; put on love, and your life will be like a house built on rock, your journey will be joyful, because you will find many friends to journey with you. During the Pentecost vigil Pope Francis was asked; how can we communicate faith effectively today? In response, this is what he said; I shall answer with just three words. The first: Jesus. What is the most important thing? Jesus. If we forge ahead with our own arrangements, with other things, with beautiful things but without Jesus we make no headway, it does not work. Jesus is more important. We are true evangelizers when we let him guide us. Letting ourselves be led by Jesus. Jesus is our leader. The second word is: prayer. Looking at the face of God, but above all - realizing that he is also looking at us. The Lord looks at us. He looks at us first. My experience is what I feel in front of the tabernacle, when I go in the evening to pray before the Lord. Sometimes I nod off for a while; this is true, for the strain of the day more or less makes you fall asleep, but he understands. I feel great comfort when I think of the Lord looking at me. We think we have to pray and talk, talk, talk.... No! Let the Lord look at you. When he looks at us, he gives us strength and helps us to bear witness to him. And the third word: witness. Faith can only be communicated through witness, and that means love. Not with our own ideas but with the Gospel, lived out in our own lives and brought to life within us by the Holy Spirit. There is, as it were, a synergy between us and the Holy Spirit, and this leads to witness. The Church is carried forward by the Saints, who are the very ones who bear this witness. These words spoken by Pope Francis have inspired us and as a result, we are extending an invitation to all of you to embark on a three-year evangelization plan. This coming liturgical year we will begin with the word, JESUS. All our programs and workshops will focus on coming to know the person of Christ and seeking to understand His will. My friends, now is the time to reclaim in faith, hope and love, the church that Christ built, that He passed on to us through generations and that He calls us to renew today. This time in church history is our time. Will we be Christs disciples, journeying with Him on this narrow path? The choice is ours but let no one say, we have no choice! Will you join us in joining Pope Francis with JOY, ENTHUSIAM and LOVE? Will you be builders of this new church in our world? I pray you will hear the call and respond with generosity we need each and every one of you. We, the pastoral team, want to make this journey with all of you not for you but together side by side, with you! THE CHURCH NEEDS YOU! JESUS NEEDS YOU! WE NEED YOU! Today I invite us all to pray that God will bless our journey and lead us on the only path worth crossing. Perhaps then, when our journey is over, the only words we will hear Jesus speak will be Well-Done Good and Faithful Servant, come and enter the Kingdom of God. AMEN!