Homily – March 22nd – 4th Sunday of Lent

Homily – March 22nd – 4th Sunday of Lent

Last Sunday we reflected on the wonderful story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, and today we have the equally compelling story of a man born blind and his journey to faith in Jesus. That fact that both these events are real, about real people interacting with Jesus, and are not just stories made up to illustrate a point, makes them even more compelling. Today’s event begins simply enough; Jesus and his disciples are passing by a blind man and his presence causes ...

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Fr Charlie

Message in a Bottle #1

Message in a Bottle #1

Ahoy, dear parishioners, we are living in a very different and almost surreal moment of history.  So much of our personal and collective routines, both as Church and within the greater society, have been upended by something that cannot be seen with the naked eye. How could something so small cause such catastrophic effects throughout the entire world?  I do not know. But what I am reminded of, as we all hunker down, is how fragile and vulnerable and interconnected we all are. This is not ...

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Fr Phil

Time Outside Time

Time Outside Time

Where does one begin, as we sit where we sit right now?  Two weeks ago, we watched with interest as Covid-19 continued to spread.  I, ashamed as I am to admit it today, was one of the naysayers – ‘the media is blowing this out of proportion.’  Yet, now here we are, a country – nay a world as there seems not to be one country in the world that has not been affected – watching, waiting, hoping, despairing, anxious.  We are a world in angst.

On this coming ...

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Ellen Bennett

That Thirst

That Thirst

Have you ever been so caught up in your routine daily activities, or the busyness of life that you have forgotten to drink enough water, and suddenly you realize your throat is hot, crackling dry, and maybe slightly swollen and not only are you are developing a headache, but start to feel surly?  You feel like you have crossed a desert. Then you realize your body is telling you it needs hydration, so you obey and drink the water, and when you drink the water ...

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Trevor Droesbeck

The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration

Each year on the first Sunday of Lent, our Gospel tells the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert.  On the second Sunday of Lent each year, we hear the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration.  The word transfiguration is defined as “a complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful or spiritual state”.  In this case, Jesus leads Peter, James and John up a high mountain and appears to them in radiant glory.  The Gospel states that, “his face shone like the sun and his ...

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Katy Mahoney

Rules Before Needs: It Doesn’t Have to be that Way

Rules Before Needs: It Doesn’t Have to be that Way

When the new Roman Missal (big, red book the priest prays from during Mass) was brought into effect on the first Sunday of Advent 2011, it brought about a major shift in language. If you have ever participated at a Mass I presided at, you may not have noticed much of a change. Why? Let me explain. The new Missal is full of language like: oblation, sanctify, exultant majesty, homage, expiation, consubstantial, virtues of heaven, beseech, etc. (If I was to use words like that, I ...

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Fr Phil

What will I do this year for Lent?

What will I do this year for Lent?

As I read this week’s gospel and hear Jesus’ counter-cultural instructions on how we should deal with the people God puts in our lives, I am reminded of one the biggest influences in my spiritual journey, Fr. Peter McKee.  When someone would ask him, “do you have a minute?” he would reply, “for you, I’ve got two.”  What a marvelous tone to set for the conversation to come.

Although this gospel comes up this year just prior to the season of Lent, it gives us a pretty ...

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Mark Mahoney

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments

This week’s readings and gospel reflect the theme of the ten commandments. “Those who obey God’s laws will become great in the kingdom of God.”  It has been said that the Ten Commandments given by God are meant to protect His children from self-destruction; they are not harsh rules meant to enslave and oppress. They give us our boundaries; the boundaries that make our hearts pure and prevent self-destruction. 

Catholicism is a faith of rules and regulations.  Some people misunderstand our relationship with the church and our ...

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Cathy Keirstead

Stories of Faith, Bring Light in the Darkness

Stories of Faith, Bring Light in the Darkness

He was lying in a hospital bed on the palliative care unit.  His family was worried about his discomfort, his weakness and his approaching death.  His only concern was that everyone else would understand that there was nothing to fear. Where others were seeing the shadow of death, he was seeing the light of God’s promise; and he wanted to share that light. He asked if he could tell me a story that I could then tell to other people, so they would not be so ...

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Pam Driedger

This Little Light of Mine…

This Little Light of Mine…

When we were children, we trooped up to kneel at the communion rail on the Feast of St. Blais for the priest to bless our throats with two crossed candles.  In Luke’s gospel reading we learn of a ritual that is no longer practiced.  Today is also Ground Hog Day, recalling what was once the Candlemas bear.  These things led me to reflect on rituals and the rules surrounding them.

Some years ago, I was looking after two children, a boy 10 and a girl 12, who were ...

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Agnes Beirne

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