Homily – December 17th, 2023 – Third Sunday of Advent

Homily – December 17th, 2023 – Third Sunday of Advent

John the Baptist, to put it mildly, is an interesting character. He was a prophet, and according to Jesus, the greatest of all the prophets (Lk. 7:28). Prophets have always, and still do, want more for us than what we want for ourselves. Once I get comfortable in my little kingdom, my little control tower, I really don’t want anyone else rattling my little world even if the rattling come with a promise of a bigger and better world, like ...

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Fr Phil

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Reflection – December 17th, 2023 – Third Sunday of Advent

Reflection – December 17th, 2023 – Third Sunday of Advent

The Consoling Joy of the Gospel1

In a world that has not enough of any, the themes of Advent are significant – hope, peace, joy and love.  This  Sunday the focus is on joy.  The prophet Isaiah, a key character of the season, reminds us of the ‘good news’ which he has been sent to proclaim, for which he is ‘greatly rejoicing.’ Mary, on arriving at her cousin Elizabeth’s home, responds to Elizabeth’s greeting with her beautiful Magnificate – a prayer ...

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Ellen Bennett

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Homily – December 10th, 2023 – Second Sunday of Advent

Homily – December 10th, 2023 – Second Sunday of Advent

Two of my favorite books of all time, The Shack (William Paul Young) and The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom) were both turned into movies. I don’t find this very often, but I did find these two movies were every bit as good as the books that spawned them. While they are both pure fiction, they nevertheless include deep truths about life, faith, forgiveness, and love that give you reason to do some self-reflection before moving on ...

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Fr Phil

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Reflection – December 10th, 2023 – Second Sunday of Advent

Reflection – December 10th, 2023 – Second Sunday of Advent

The Wilderness of 2023

As we observe the Season of Advent amid the wilderness of 2023, we are reminded to not get ahead of ourselves and celebrate Christmas before spending time reflecting and preparing. This is good advice. I do not think we are meant to move from Halloween directly into celebrating Christmas without preparation. But depending on how you look at it, I feel like there is a lot of stuff going on.  

How many of you have ...

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Trevor Droesbeck

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Homily – December 3rd, 2023 – First Sunday of Advent

Homily – December 3rd, 2023 – First Sunday of Advent

I remember being at a talk 30 years ago, given by John Shea, who was invited to speak at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa. John Shea is a theologian from Chicago, and the best storyteller I have ever heard. One of the things he said–and for some reason I remembered it 30 years later–was, “The key to gospel spirituality is not to look at Jesus but to look with Jesus. You’ll learn very little, if anything at all, by looking ...

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Fr Phil

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Reflection – December 3, 2023 – First Sunday of Advent

Reflection – December 3, 2023 – First Sunday of Advent

LET US OFFER EACH OTHER A SIGN OF PEACE

Offering each other the “sign of peace” is something you have done countless times, if you are a regular participant at Mass (unfortunately, this gesture is non-existent in the French-speaking churches in our diocese). Just prior to reaching our hand out for the hands of our neighbours at Mass, we hear the priest say this: Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you”; ...

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Fr Phil

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Homily – November 26, 2023 – Christ the King Sunday

Homily – November 26, 2023 – Christ the King Sunday

As we say “good-bye” to gospel writer Matthew, who has been our guide this last liturgical year, we end with a reading that summarizes Jesus’ entire life among us. If we were to read and try to apply just this gospel reading alone, I’m convinced it would be more than enough to convert us and change the world forever. When I take this gospel passage seriously in my own life, I realize I have more blow opportunities, more sins of ...

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Fr Phil

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Reflection – November 26th, 2023 – Christ the King Sunday

Reflection – November 26th, 2023 – Christ the King Sunday

Fear or Love – What is our Starting Point?

As I sit to write this reflection I am just back in the office after one week’s holidays.  While it is always nice to have some time to relax and re-energize, the one thing a week’s holiday makes crystal clear to me is that I am nowhere near ready for retirement.  While my birth certificate is telling me that I am coming to a time in my life where that will be ...

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Mark Mahoney

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Homily – November 19th, 2023 – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily – November 19th, 2023 – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Once again Jesus gives us a parable that does not tie things up in a neat package with a bow around it. Parables are meant to stretch us, to take us out of our small worlds, our small kingdoms and invite us to consider what the Kingdom of God is like. We will only let go of our little kingdom if we are convinced we are getting a bigger kingdom in exchange. But letting go has never been our strong ...

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Fr Phil

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Reflection – November 19th, 2023 – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reflection – November 19th, 2023 – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

My reflections for this week’s readings and gospel are focused on the First Reading from the book of Proverbs. The first reading talks about a woman who is valuable in many ways. She’s trustworthy, hardworking, and caring. This isn’t just about being a good wife, but also about being a strong individual. Her skills are practical; she can work “with wool and flax” and she helps the less fortunate. This paints a picture of a person who is balanced both ...

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Cathy Keirstead

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