In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
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7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls us to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to become a missionary disciple....
Homily MP3 version - PDF version
Optional Spiritual Exercise: Sacred History Reflection on My Life
What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version
“Whoever obeys the word of Christ, grows perfect in the love of God. Alleluia!”
Sisters! Brothers! Good evening. Here we are at the end of the Lord’s Day. Our Lord Jesus does not beat around the bush tonight – he says to us: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Through Moses, the Word of God addressed all the congregation of the children of Israel in similar terms: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”
The Lord is merciful, too; so, we don’t have to strain our brains to figure out what his word means. We are not to hate anyone of our kin; we are to reprove our neighbour. We are not to take vengeance or bear a grudge, and we are to love our neighbour as ourself. Jesus will have us imitate Him in his attitude as the Lamb of God. We are not to fight or resist those who impose on us but, on the contrary, we are to be generous and go beyond what is demanded of us. We are even to “love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us”.
“Whoever obeys the word of Christ, grows perfect in the love of God. Alleluia!”
There is no denying that it is very difficult for us, and even seems impossible at times, for us to follow in the steps of Jesus. Consider the challenge for Fr. Robert Clark to accept to endure his sudden illness and find himself on a hospital bed for weeks, or Fr. Robert Assaly, who has recently shared with his parishioners the news of his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Their attitude of trust in the Lord is from a human point of view astonishing, but from a faith point of view; both of these younger priests are an inspiring example for us. For those who know him, so is the layman Stephen Sims, who is currently in the palliative care unit of Lachine Hospital.
We who are here to worship our God on the Lord’s Day believe that our Creator God is merciful and loves us, and that the Most Holy Trinity want us to enjoy forever their company with all the angels and saints in the Father’s House, in Heaven. Isn’t it ironic or even strange that none of us are in a hurry to come to the end of our lives? No matter what difficulties are ours in this life, we seem to be quite content to remain here on Earth for as long as possible. This is natural, given the beauty of God’s Creation and the wonder and value of life itself.
“Whoever obeys the word of Christ, grows perfect in the love of God. Alleluia!”
Isn’t it strange, then,
although we value life a great deal for ourselves, that under certain
circumstances, we deprive others of this same value of life. If it is
inconvenient to find ourselves pregnant, so many people around the world become
willing to kill that innocent life which is unable to speak for itself and say
to us in no uncertain terms: “Please, let me live!” All too often, the pregnant
woman is abandoned to her own resources by the man. Where is that man? Why is
he unwilling to take responsibility for his part in giving life to a new human
being?
“Whoever obeys the word of Christ, grows perfect in the love of God. Alleluia!”
Consider the challenge of being married and our reluctance to accept the other as they are, our relentless impulse to control the other and reshape the other according to our own desires and expectations. Jesus has revealed to us the key to understanding why we allow ourselves to get caught in such traps and contradictions. The key is love, and that love drives out fear. If we do not live as children of God, if we are not holy as God is holy, if we are not perfect as God is perfect; it is simply because we are afraid and we give in to our fear, instead of trusting in God.
“Whoever obeys the word of Christ, grows perfect in the love of God. Alleluia!”
The most heroic human beings who ever lived were afraid, but they refused to surrender to the fear. When it is easy to pray and we feel God’s love, that is not faith; we are simply being carried by God’s grace like a baby in its parent’s arms. When we feel alone or abandoned by God or it is hard to pray, activating our faith is simply deciding to pray anyway, to trust in God anyway, no matter what. That is faith. We are holy when it is difficult to love, but we love anyway. We are perfect when we have been hurt and it hurts to forgive, but we forgive anyway. This is foolishness in the eyes of the world, but this is the truth and wisdom of the Most Holy Trinity. God fills us with peace and joy when we walk in the ways of the Lord; when we listen and obey, when we give up our will and deliberately seek to know and to do the will of God.
In a few moments, it will be time to place at the altar our offering to God. It is ourselves that we offer: all that we carry within us, our reluctance to be holy, our distaste for being perfect; our hopes and our fears, our desires and our regrets, our sins and our repentance, and even our own will. Let us open wide our spirit to God; so that the Lord may do in us all that He desires to do: to lead, to forgive, to heal, to make us holy and perfect, and to give life.
“Whoever obeys the word of Christ, grows perfect in the love of God. Alleluia!”
“Our Lady of Ville Marie, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. St. Brother André, pray for us. St. Kateri, pray for us. St. Willibrord & St. Thomas More... St. Marguerite Bourgeois & St. Marguerite d’Youville... All you holy women and men, pray for us. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
In silence now, the Holy Spirit continues to fill us with the Radiance of the Most Holy Trinity.
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© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC © 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QCIn the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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