Every time I hear this week’s gospel I smile because it reminds me of someone in my life who is very dear to me. The passage reminds me of this person because when I hear it, the phrase that comes to mind is: “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”. To say this person who I am referring to is persistent is like saying it can get a little chilly here in January (lol). But when we …
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The Many Stages of Mission
If we were to combine this week’s readings with the Passion reading we heard on Good Friday, we could probably make a miniseries called “The Many Faces of Peter”. I think that’s one of the reasons I love Peter so much is that he is so relatable to me. Always with the best of intentions, but sometimes falling a little short of the mark. Yet, no matter how many times he fell, …
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Lent has come to us a little later this year than usual as
Easter is only four days short of the latest it can be. On a side note, if you were wondering how the
date for Easter is determined; it is always the first Sunday after the first
full moon after the first day of Spring.
That information and $2 will get you a coffee at Tim Horton’s. With Lent starting so late, it has given us
much …
by admin Throughout my life I have had many friends and acquaintances who have been loyal members of evangelical churches. These people are faith filled and extremely committed to the teachings of their individual churches. We have had many conversations over the years on the “taboo” topic of religion, and I have been blessed and enriched to learn of the faith principles that guide their lives.
One question that would often be posed to me, and to be honest, would frequently …
by admin As we head toward the end of our liturgical year, our readings focus on the “end times”. In today’s gospel, Jesus sets the stage for what we can expect to see when the time for his second coming is upon us. “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.” This, to me, sounds like utter darkness; and pretty scary too. When we think about “the end“, either of the world or of our own life, …
by admin As a young person growing up in the Roman Catholic tradition and attending Immaculate Heart of Mary weekly, the last thing that was on my mind at Mass was being in community. While subconsciously I was being formed by my faith community; consciously, it was about me and God. I can still recall coming into the church, blessing myself with holy water and proceeding directly to my seat where I would shut the world out with my own personal prayer.
by admin As I sit to write this reflection, outside my window the signs of Spring are becoming ever more apparent. While there is still an early morning chill in the air, the sun feels like it is getting stronger every day, snow is melting and there are buds on the trees. Once again, God is fulfilling the promise of transforming death into life. As someone who is not an avid gardener, and as my Grade 10 Biology teacher, Mr. Johnson, will …
by admin The primary way that the Church assists the catechumens (now called the elect after the celebration of the Rite of Election last Sunday) in their conversion process during Lent, is through the celebration of rites called Scrutinies. These ritual celebrations on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent are communal prayers celebrated around the elect to strengthen them to overcome the power of sin in their lives and to grow in virtue. To scrutinize something means to examine it …
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These two statements made to Mary by the angel Gabriel are, for me, two of the most powerful lines in all of Scripture.
They speak two truths not only about Mary but about you and I. For years I would read this story and many others in Scripture like I was an interested spectator but not really involved in the story. I have come to realize that I am involved in the story because it’s my story. Just as …
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