Jubilee 2025 - We are God's "secret agents". - "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him." - Saturday 17:00 p.m. & Sunday 10:00 a.m. Mass at Annunciation of Our Lady Parish, TMR - Montreal - May 24th, 2025

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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6th Sunday of Easter   

Saturday 5:00 p.m. Mass 

Sunday 10:00 a.m. Mass 

(At beginning of the Mass) Fr. Gerry and I have known each other since 1968, when we were young trouble makers at Loyola College. He is a dear friend and a good priest. He asked me to stand in for him this weekend, and I am glad to be here with you to worship the Lord. 

First reading: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29

Responsorial: Psalm 67 "Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!"

Second reading: Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23

 Alleluia. Alleluia. Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. Alleluia.

Gospel: John 14:23-29

Saturday audio recording of the Gospel and Homily - MP3 File  

Sunday audio recording of the Gospel and Homily - MP3 File  

Homily Note Points 

We are still in the "great Easter Sunday" of the Easter Season - Christ is risen, alleluia!

Rx. "Indeed, He is truly risen, alleluia!" Jesus is hour hope.

Acts: Trouble among first Christians, all Jews, when Gentiles became Christians. 

Problem: Jesus came from the Father to bring a new way of thinking and living.

Cf. Genesis: friendship between God and first human beings.

Jealousy of demon who wanted to spoil this friendship we had with God.

The temptation was to stop trusting in God.... That first friendship was all about trust in God's love. See the dialogue between the demon and the human... "No, you won't die; you will be like God and know both good and evil." I.e. there's something missing. 

That is our human condition: we tend to feel that something is missing, but we look for it everywhere except in God. The Father sent his Son to become human, Jesus, and for him to accept to be mistreated and killed in order to show us that the Father's love is real and we can count on it. What more could He do for us?

Jesus: "Whoever loves me will keep my word."

How do we know that we love someone? See me as young man visiting my parents; while others didn't visit their parents. How can we love someone if we don't care for them?

Loving others requires forgiveness, because we are imperfect. I have asked for forgiveness countless times and have given forgiveness countless times. If I refuse to forgive even one person, the doors of my heart are shut. Once the doors of my heart are shut, nothing can go in, and nothing can go out. Jesus came to unlock the doors.

We cannot forget injuries because our memory remembers. Still, we need to forgive, and to forgive simply means to let it go, to drop it. Every time the memory returns, once again it is an opportunity to forgive, and to ask God to bless the one who hurt me.

This is what makes possible the joy of Easter, the joy which is a foretaste of Heaven. In Heaven our joy will be complete because everyone is forgiven, and everyone forgives everything and everyone. 

The Holy Trinity is one God, a very unique Being, whose principle quality is to give themselves. The Father gives Himself to us in Jesus. Jesus gives Himself to us in his Word and in Holy Communion - much as a mother gives her substance to her baby whom she nurses at her breast - so, Jesus gives us his divine substance in Holy Communion with Him in his Body and Blood. The Holy Spirit gives Himself to us constantly, day and night. 

The Holy Spirit brought us here today. We are in a church building, but the real church is not the building but the assembly. That is the meaning of the word church - assembly. We are God's assembly everywhere in the world, but our assembly is most visible when we come together in the Holy Spirit. Here Jesus feeds us with his Word and his Body and Blood.

Then, Jesus sends us back out into the world to be his missionary disciples. People ask, "Where is God? If God is good, why does He permit wars, poverty, illness, and death?" God does choose to remain invisible, but He relies on each and every one of us to be his "secret agents" in the world. When we encounter others, listen to them, and chat, we can give witness for the reason of our hope in Jesus. God becomes visible to others every time we give our testimony to his love and mercy. 

Christ is risen, alleluia!

Further thoughts from another Sunday....

Good News: God does not judge us according to our circumstances, over which we often have no control, but rather, God looks to our heart, mind, and soul. - MP3 file  

The meaning of the Hebrew word "HOSANNAH!" - MP3 FILE (2023 recording - prayer over the gifts, the Preface, an explanation of the word Hosannah, and the Eucharistic Prayer in Special Circumstances.)

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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.

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© 2006-2025 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2025 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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Jesus calls us to be perfect and holy - how is this possible? The key is authentic love. - February 19th, 2023 - 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 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.

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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.

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

© 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 QC

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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.

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

© 2006-2023 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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We thank God for our parents and families, and with God's grace and help we forgive our parents and all who have in any way hurt us. Feast of the Holy Family - MQP Church in JLW Parish - December 26th, 2021

 Gospel MP3 version 

 Homily MP3 version 

Brief comments MP3 version

Homily Outline

Feast of the Holy Family

Holy because of Jesus the Holy One, the Son of God, 
because of Mary the Immaculate One,
and because of Joseph the Just One

What has been your experience of family?
- your family of origin?
your own family now?

What is God's plan for us?
- fullness of life
 - in the intimacy of the Most Holy Trinity
- beginning now
-lasting and developing on and on forever

Intimacy: to know the other who loves us and whom we love,
and to be known by the other who loves us and whom we love
= to belong

That is God's plan...

What has been our reality?
- our experience of family?
- my experience of family?
- your experience of family?

FATHER?

- that a father be a reflection of God's fatherhood and paternity

MOTHER?

- that a mother be a reflection of God's motherhood and maternity

THE LOVE OF A FATHER AND MOTHER FOR EACH OTHER

- that the love of a man and woman, a father and mother for each other be a reflection of God's love given to us in Jesus and in the Holy Spirit

We have probably all been disappointed, perhaps even hurt by our family, by our parents

Whatever has been hurt... God wants to comfort....

Whatever has been wounded... God wants to heal....

Whatever has been broken... God wants to repair....

God's life, love, and healing passes through the gates of our heart....

We close the gates of our heart when we carry resentment and do not forgive....

TO FORGIVE - TO LET GO (demonstrate) (1)

TO FORGIVE = TO SINCERELY DESIRE GOOD FOR THE OTHER (2)

AND TO ASK GOD TO BLESS THE OTHER (3)

SPIRITUAL EXERCISE = PRAYER OF FORGIVENESS & BLESSING

Begin with confession and repentance

Prayer of forgiveness - letting go - desiring good for the ones who have hurt or disappointed us - asking for the grace to desire good for them

Asking God to actually bless them (pour live hot coals of burning divine love over them so that the love of God may burn down through them and purify them, make them new....

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

 

© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC      © 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC