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.
----------------------------------------------------------------
5th Sunday of Lent
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
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice!
I believe that you are the Christ, the
Son of God, the one coming into the world!”
Our pastor, Robert Assaly, has gone home to the Father’s house. He lived a full life, being married, had with his wife six children who are now adults and living their lives, and served a number of years as an Anglican priest before joining the Roman Catholic Church and being ordained as a R. C. priest. We were delighted to know him and receive his kind and generous service these past few years. May he rest in peace in the joy of the Father’s house.
These are also difficult days because of the open line to the ombudsman. Already, a few priests have been suspended due to a variety of complaints. I believe that it is also true that as a people, as a society, we have become impatient, intolerant, contemptuous, and critical. We refuse to love those who oppose us. It is no picnic to be a priest in our world and our Church today. And yet, to live and serve as a priest remains a great human and spiritual adventure. Jesus is risen from the dead, and soon we shall walk with Him in his passion, the great gift of his life out of love for us and for all of humanity. Jesus is Lord, the Son of God, and He permits all these trials to fall on our heads. We must believe in Him and put all our trust in Him.
“Out of
the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I
believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”
Jesus wants to rescue us, but we must admit that we need to be rescued. “You shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.” The ways of the Lord our God are mysterious, but He does not want to save us without our participation. We need to desire the salvation which the Lord offers us. He has even given us this prayer inspired and written by the Psalmist some 3,000 years ago: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”
“Out of
the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I
believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”
At every moment, we are free to choose how to live our life: under the tyranny of the flesh or under the guidance of the Spirit. Will I remain a slave to my anger? To my appetites? To my sexual impulses? To my gluttony? To my fears or my jealousy? To my pride? At every moment, the Holy Spirit makes to surge within me his own divine power which we call grace and which gently invites me and gives me strength to walk in the steps of Jesus, following Him, by loving my neighbour and even my enemies.
Who are the enemies that Jesus calls me to love? With
which person must I seek to be reconciled? Who is it that is doing me harm; so
that I may pray for them? Which family member must I love better? Who is the
stranger for whom I must pray?
“Out of
the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I believe
that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”
Jesus rescued the Samaritan woman from her despair just by chatting with her and by showing her his compassion and love, but He also questioned her and provoked her to tell all the truth about her upside down life. Jesus gave sight to the man born blind in order to save him but also to shake up the proud religious leaders who thought they were without sin and didn’t need to be saved by God. Today we see Jesus raise his friend Lazarus from death and the tomb. Jesus gives us plenty of reasons to believe in Him and put all our trust in Him.
What is the despair from which Jesus wants to rescue me? What sight does Jesus want to give me so that I may see more clearly? From out of which tomb does Jesus want to bring me?
“Out of
the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I
believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”
It is still daylight, and the night has not yet swallowed us up. There is still time for us to be reconciled with God and with our neighbour, and also with Jesus’ Church. We still have priests ready to welcome us and to hear our confession; because they know full well that it is Jesus who meets the penitent who comes to confession. Take advantage of it while you still can.
In a few moments, we will bring our offering to the altar of God. We offer ourselves: 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.
“Out of
the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I
believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”
“Mary Mother of God, pray for us. St. Joseph, 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 restore our sight to see the Light of God.
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.
© 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
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
No comments:
Post a Comment