“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!” - As Christian disciples of Jesus, we believe we can change, repent, turn from evil and return to God, in the power of the Holy Spirit - February 14th, 2024 - Ash Wednesday - Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish

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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Ash Wednesday   

VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls you to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and become a missionary disciple....

All are welcome - the sounds of the "little children" are pleasing to our heavenly Father and "rise up" to Him like prayers - we "make room" for the little children and take our time - MP3  

Gospel & Homily MP3 - PDF version 

Blessing & distribution of the ashes - The Offering of ourselves with the bread & wine - the meaning of "Hosannah!" - 1st Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation - saying the Lord's Prayer - MP3  

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 

“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!”

We are Christians, and we are trying to follow the Lord Jesus as his disciples in the Roman Catholic Rite. There are other rites in communion with the Roman Catholic Church such as the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine, and other unique rites in India, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, Iraq, Hungary, Slovakia, Egypt, Eritrea, Romania, Ethiopia, and in eight other countries. We believe God can strengthen our will to make good changes in our lives. 

In addition to these 23 Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, there are 17 autonomous Orthodox Churches in the world. All of these Christians observe the liturgical seasons of Lent and Easter, and also make use of ashes on Ash Wednesday to make visible their commitment to live a life of conversion in living their faith in God the Father through the Lord Jesus, by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Jesus constantly called people to turn away from sin and believe the good news.

Many people think they cannot stop doing evil or improve loving others or to forgive those who have hurt us and pray for their good. Ashes express our mortality and regret for our sins, and our intention to repent – to turn away from sin and turn back to the Lord – and to count on the Lord’s grace to help us remain faithful to Him, to help us forgive and love our neighbour.

“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!”

Generally, Christians in churches of what is called the Protestant Reformation are also trying to follow the Lord Jesus as his disciples, but most of them have done away with elements traditionally observed in Catholic and Orthodox Churches. These churches have in general abandoned using ashes on Ash Wednesday to give visible expression to the commitment to live a life of repentance and conversion; although some of them have come back to using ashes on this occasion of entering into the season of Lent.

We know that the first disciples of Jesus were all Jews. The use of ashes in order to do penance and practice repentance was continued by Jews when they became Christians, and it became a standard practice for all Christians. Most of us are descendants by faith of those peoples whom Jews called Gentiles or non-Jews. When they became Catholic Christians, they also adopted making use of ashes to deepen their life of conversion.

“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!”

They put aside their comfortable clothes and put on sackcloth, like burlap, which is very rough and uncomfortable. Then, they would dishevel their hair and pour ashes on top of their head. It seems a contradiction that renouncing comfort for a short or long period of time, and accepting to endure discomfort as a penance, strengthens our faith, but it does. In part, it is because peacefully accepting to renounce our comfort strengthens our character.

“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!” 

Penitential practices which renounce comfort for a time actually intensify religious dispositions such as openness to God, docility to the Holy Spirit, and willingness to accept to do the will of God. Fasting is the penitential practice of giving up certain foods and remaining hungry; while eating enough to maintain sufficient energy to be able to get through the day and accomplish our duties without passing out. In addition, remaining physically hungry makes our hunger for God more intense; which makes our religious experiences more intentional.

“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!”

When I feel physically hungry and thirsty, this state in my body helps me become more aware of my soul’s hunger and thirst for God, for his life-giving Word, and for Jesus, the Bread of Life. Being in a state of fasting and penance also helps us to be more aware of the quiet and gentle movements of the Holy Spirit deep in our soul. The more aware we are of the presence and action of God within us, the easier it is for us to become friends of God.

“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!”

The money we save by eating less and giving up treats and luxuries, we can then give away as alms for the poor, to alleviate the suffering of those who are starving, or who don’t have safe drinking water. In addition, when we accept to endure in our body such states as hunger, thirst, and discomfort; these minor sufferings not only intensify the quality of our awareness, but they also help to intensify the desire for God with which we enter into times of prayer. Our times of prayer can be very brief, like sending to the Lord swift word arrows like: “Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” As we enter into longer periods of prayer and keep silence in our hearts, our hunger, thirst, and discomfort can also help us express to God with much more intensity all that that is in our heart and our need for God to give us life.

“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!”

“Mary Mother of God, St. Joseph, help us walk in the steps of Jesus. 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 helps us to unite our offering of ourselves to that of Jesus….

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com         https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com

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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.

----------------------------------------------------------------

© 2006-2024 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2024 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

+ + + + + + + + + + + +  

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! - March 26th, 2023 - 5th Sunday of Lent - MQP Church in JLW Parish

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 you to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and become a missionary disciple....

 Homily MP3 version - PDF version 

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, Francis McKee, is on vacation with his family in Ireland for 2 or 3 weeks. There was a complaint against him to the ombudsman concerning his use of authority. Who among us is perfect, never makes a mistake, is always calm, always welcomes with perfect listening? Still, no one can escape the demands of justice, truth, courtesy, and charity. So, there has to be an investigation to examine the facts. Let us pray for Francis McKee and for our parishes, so that the truth may come into the light of day.

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, 3 young sisters will be baptized. God our Father will adopt them and their parents and godparents will help them to pay attention to God coming to live in their soul. It is because we are God’s children that we 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.

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com         https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com

 

----------------------------------------------------------------

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 

+ + + + + + + + + + + +  

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! - March 26th, 2023 - 5th Sunday of Lent - The L.S.M. of C.A.M. at St. Willibrord Church, Verdun

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.

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com         https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com

----------------------------------------------------------------

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 

+ + + + + + + + + + + +  

Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them! - March 19th, 2023 - 4th Sunday of Lent - MQP Church in JLW Parish

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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4th Sunday of Lent

VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls you to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and become a missionary disciple....

 Homily MP3 version - PDF version 

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 

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!” 

“Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” David is the one God chose to precede Jesus who would come after him. Jesus came to pour out this same Spirit, the very Spirit of the Living God, upon every human person who wants to receive him. What we need is to desire to receive the Spirit of God, but we must also put no obstacle to block Him. 

“The Pharisees did not believe that he had been blind from birth and that now he could see.” These people who closed their hearts to Jesus were not men after God’s own heart like David was; they cultivated in themselves a contrary spirit. What then is the quality of my heart? Am I cultivating in myself a contrary spirit? Or do I desire to receive the Spirit of God so that He might renew in me a spirit after God’s own heart? 

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!” 

These days, we are full of challenges. Our pastor, Francis McKee, had to leave us for an indeterminate period of time. We are left full of questions. In our lives and in our families as well – at work as well as in school – we face plenty of challenges and trials. Is God punishing us? “Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” That is the truth we must live out in our lives. Evil never comes from God but from the enemy; however, God permits evil so that the trial may purify our heart; so that our struggle against evil may remove the obstacles to God’s love and his Spirit and make us stronger; so that God might manifest his power to save. 

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!” 

What evil am I doing in secret? God warns that “everything shameful exposed by the light becomes visible”. We must take care not to cultivate within us a contrary spirit, not to resist God’s call to conversion. We are free to desire the grace the Spirit of God wants to pour into us and bring us to repent, turn away from all evil, and turn our face, our mind, our heart to Jesus. 

What is the good word to be said? What is the right thing to do? What is the good deed to put into action? With which person must I seek to be reconciled? Who is it that is doing me harm; so that I may pray for them? Who is the enemy that Jesus commands me to love; so that I might be a daughter, a son of God, and resemble Him?

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!”

When Jesus gave his disciples authority and power to forgive, it was to inaugurate the kingdom of God, God who is merciful and never refuses to forgive the one who repents and asks for forgiveness. If we inherit from Jesus the Sacrament of Reconciliation, of Penance, called Confession, it’s to restore our own ability and willingness to forgive, to free from their chains those we retain by our anger, vengeance, or bitterness. Break the chains! Open the prisons! Free the captives! 

As long as we still have priests, let us not waste the opportunity to confess our sins before the priest, to meet Jesus Himself through the priest. Let us allow God the Father to restore our capacity and willingness to forgive, to free the captives, to restore their sight to the blind!

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!” 

One day, perhaps there will be no more priests… if the men Jesus is calling do not put aside their fear in order to put their trust in the Lord and answer his call. Every priest is a sinner like all of us, and every day he needs our prayers, our love, our forgiveness. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to forgive. 

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. 

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!” 

“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.

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com         https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com

 

----------------------------------------------------------------

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 

+ + + + + + + + + + + +  

Jesus says to us again today: “I tell you… unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” 3rd Sunday of Lent - MQP Church in JLW Parish - March 20th, 2022

 Gospel & Homily MP3 version     Homily PDF version     

What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits!”

Dear brothers and sisters, God revealed Himself to Moses saying: “I am the God of your fathers.” And to you, how did God reveal Himself? When I was a child, Maman taught me my prayers. However, it was in watching Papa pray to God in church that I realized that God is real, that He is truly there before us when we pray. And you, what has been your experience? Even if your parents were unable to bring you to God, God must have found another way. It is most certainly true that it is God Himself, the Holy Spirit, who has brought us here today.

For his part, Moses saw “the bush that was blazing, yet it was not consumed.” Then, he heard the voice of God. As for me, in my child’s heart, at my Confirmation, at my first Confession, and at my first Communion, I felt the presence of God and his love for me. At the time, I wasn’t conscious of it; I wouldn’t have been able to talk about it. It was only 20 years later, as a young adult participating in a weekend retreat, that I was able to reflect on my experience of God in my life. Then, the Holy Spirit brought to my mind my discreet and sweet experiences of the presence and the love of God for me at the age of eight.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits!”

Brothers and sisters, they must not be lost all those graces the Good God has given to us in the course of our life, from the moment of our conception in our mother’s womb until now, at this very moment; for even our very breath is given to us by God our Father and Creator. Life is a gift we receive from God from one moment to the next. This time of Lent is a gift God gives us. He captures our attention and invites us to reflect and remember every experience of God that we have had from our earliest childhood until today.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits!”

If we can work, then, we earn our living by the sweat of our brow, yes, but the opportunity to have a job and the health and strength to work is a gift from God. When we are in trouble, and help comes to us, it is God who inspires the people who come to our aid. When the Good God allows us to suffer still longer, in the end we find that suffering has strengthened us. If we open our heart and our soul to the Good God, we discover that, no matter the circumstances, everything is a gift from God. Everything mysteriously comes to us for our final good.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits!”

The continuing conflict in Ukraine is a scandal. The whole world is in shock because of this war waged against the population of Ukraine by Russia’s military. It seems to us impossible to understand why this conflict erupted in the first place and why it drags on. It would be easy to grumble and complain against God and to succumb to various temptations to do evil things.

We could be tempted to judge and condemn one side or the other. Yet, who are we to judge? Who is good; if not God alone? It is now very late in human history, but it is also late in our own lives. There is no longer any time to lose. It is today that we must listen attentively to the voice of the Lord Jesus. “I tell you… unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” It is possible for a human being not to listen to his conscience; yet, our conscience warns us when we do evil or refuse to do good, either by our gestures, our words, or our attitudes. This very day it is up to us to decide to come closer to the Good God, to open our hearts to Him.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits!”

When Jesus walked this Earth, he went about forgiving sins, even when that was not what people were asking of Him. For two millennia now, Jesus continues to ask us to admit to Him our sins in front of the priests He sends to us. To experience perfectly his forgiveness and our lasting freedom of soul, this confession to God in front of the priest is both necessary and truly effective. Yet, we don’t like it; so we ask: Why not confess only privately to the Good God?

I am a human person – that is my individual identity. There I can and must admit my fault directly to the Good God. I am also a member of a family – that is my identity of origin. There, I can and must admit to my family my faults against them. I am also a member of the Body of Christ, of his Church, and I am part of his universal assembly of all the baptized – that is my identity as a Christian and disciple of Jesus. There, I can and must admit my faults to Jesus in the way that He asks me to do it, through the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits!”

Jesus is waiting for us in every priest He takes the trouble to send to us. When we confess our sins in front of the priest, it is Jesus Himself who listens to us. He inspires good words to the priest for us and grants us to taste the sweetness of his mercy through the forgiveness He grants us through the absolution said by the priest. Today, Jesus calls us all to repentance.

“Father, grant us the grace to know and to regret our sins.” “O my Jesus, I trust in You!” “Holy Spirit, grant us the courage to go and confess our sins to the priests of Jesus. Thank You, for You are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In silence now, the Holy Spirit shines his divine light in our heart, our mind, and our soul.

 

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© 2006-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC           © 2006-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC