O God, open our eyes to see your Presence and Power at work in the world. Father, You give us Jesus to continue his work of salvation in souls through us; we praise You! - St. Patrick Basilica & St. Augustine Parish - Weekday Holy Mass October 9-10-11, 15, 17-18, 2024 - & 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time October 12-13, 2024

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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Wednesday, October 9th at St. Patrick Basilica

The Homily - The Angelus 

Thursday, October 10th at St. Augustine Parish

The Homily - Our Intentions & Spiritual Offering  

Thursday, October 10th at St. Patrick Basilica

The Homily - The Angelus 

Friday, October 11th at St. Augustine Parish

The Homily, our Intentions & about our Spiritual Offering 

Why do we still show Jesus on the Cross? 

Tuesday, October 15th at St. Patrick Basilica, St. Teresa of Avila

The Homily  

Thursday, October 17th, St. Ignatius of Antioch, at St. Augustine Parish

The Homily with our Intentions & Spiritual Offering    

Friday, October 18th, St. Luke Evangelist, at St. Augustine Parish

The Homily with our Intentions  

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28th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

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

Saturday Evening Mass October 12th at St. Patrick

First reading: Wisdom 7:7-11

Responsorial: Psalm 90 "Fill us with your love, O Lord, that we may rejoice and be glad."

Second reading: Hebrews 4:12-13 

Alleluia. Alleluia. Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! Alleluia.

Gospel: Mark 10:17-30

Audio recording of the Gospel and Homily - MP3 File 

From the Sunday Morning Mass: Instruction & explanation of the "Offering of our SELF" - MP3 FILE & also the meaning of the Hebrew word "Hosannah" & Eucharistic Prayer for Masses in various needs III - "Jesus, the Way to the Father"

From the Sunday Morning Mass: The Lord's Prayer & Explanation of Jesus' "GLORY" - MP3 File & Communion

The meaning of "HOSANNAH!" - MP3 FILE (2023 recording)

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Sunday Morning Mass at St. Augustine

First reading: Wisdom 7:7-11

Responsorial: Psalm 90 "Fill us with your love, O Lord, that we may rejoice and be glad."

Second reading: Hebrews 4:12-13 

Alleluia. Alleluia. Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! Alleluia.

Gospel: Mark 10:17-30

Audio recording of the Gospel and Homily - MP3 File 

Instruction & explanation of the "Offering of our SELF" - MP3 FILE & also the meaning of the Hebrew word "Hosannah" & Eucharistic Prayer for Masses in various needs III - "Jesus, the Way to the Father"

The Lord's Prayer & Explanation of Jesus' "GLORY" - MP3 File & Communion

The meaning of "HOSANNAH!" - MP3 FILE (2023 recording)

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Sunday Evening Mass at St. Patrick

First reading: Wisdom 7:7-11

Responsorial: Psalm 90 "Fill us with your love, O Lord, that we may rejoice and be glad."

Second reading: Hebrews 4:12-13 

Alleluia. Alleluia. Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! Alleluia.

Gospel: Mark 10:17-30

Audio recording of the Gospel and Homily - MP3 File 

Instruction & explanation of the "Offering of our SELF" - MP3 FILE & also the meaning of the Hebrew word "Hosannah" & Eucharistic Prayer for Masses in various needs III - "Jesus, the Way to the Father"

The Lord's Prayer & Explanation of Jesus' "GLORY" - MP3 File & Communion

The meaning of "HOSANNAH!" - MP3 FILE (2023 recording)

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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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© 2006-2024 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 

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The Father calls each of us to follow Jesus and to become more loving like Him! - January 13-14th, 2024 - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - 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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2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time  

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

Saturday Gospel & Homily MP3 - PDF version 

Sunday Gospel & Homily MP3 - 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 

“The Lord is near to all who call on him!”

The young boy Samuel heard in the night a voice calling his name. He did not know that it was the Lord calling him. He learned this from the Lord’s priest Eli, who served in the Temple of the Lord. Eli was not a good man and displeased the Lord. Notably, he failed to discipline his two sons. They abused the Lord’s Temple and had no respect for God or for others. Still, Eli did a good thing in guiding young Samuel to learn to listen to the voice of the Lord.

Have you ever heard the voice of the Lord? I haven’t; at least, not with my ears. What’s really important here is not whether or not we hear the voice of the Lord with our ears, but whether we are even interested in listening for the Lord’s voice within our spirit. We all have voices inside of us: our own conscience, voices we remember, like those of our parents; the voice of our spouse, of friends and relatives, or even voices we dread, like that of our boss. Most important among all the voices echoing inside of us is the gentle, quiet voice of God.

“Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will!”

Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus, I should get down on my knees and ask your forgiveness for the neglect of all the pastors and priests you have ever known; forgiveness for all the ways in which we have failed to coach you in learning to listen, to discern and recognize, and to obey the voice of the Lord… deep down within your spirit. The Holy Spirit is close to every human being, whether we realize it or not. This is in part because God is our Creator, and it is the will of the Father alone which brought us into being and which sustains us in being. Without the stable and loving will of the Father that we should exist, we would simply disappear without a trace, without even a puff of smoke. We would simply vanish.

“The Lord is near to all who call on him!”

The fact that we exist is evidence that God exists, and that He also wants us to exist. In the Bible’s perspective, our very breath is not our own, but it is God’s breath which He breathes into us. Further evidence of the great and unconditional love with which God loves us is the free will with which we have all been endowed. Our free will is a very great gift indeed.

However, we don’t always like the fact that we have free will. We would much prefer God to wipe out in a single stroke every hint of evil, violence, pain, poverty, and suffering in the world. Isn’t that right? Hello? We don’t realize that if God did as we wish and wiped out all evil doers, illness, violence, natural disasters, pain, and suffering, we would no longer be free. We would simply be a bunch of robots, programmed machines, like ChatGPT, with no free will. Family, love, friendship, and caring for others, especially those in need; none of that could exist if there were no free will, no possibility of freely deciding to make acts of love and caring. Would you really want to live in a world like that? I would most definitely not want to live in that world.

“Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will!” 

Sadly, there is another reason for me to get on my knees and ask for your forgiveness on my behalf and on behalf of all the clergy you have ever known. It’s not just because we have failed to coach you in learning to know God personally and to relate to God personally every day. In addition to this, we have given you the impression that all you need to do to enter into Heaven when you die is to be a good person; to avoid committing crimes, and to do some good deeds. This is all good, but it is only part of what God expects of us. Our Creator cares a great deal about his Creation, and especially about all his human children.

If we don’t freely decide to learn how to also care a great deal about God’s Creation, and especially about all of his human children; then how can we possible stand to live in God’s company for all of eternity in Heaven? At times, aren’t we already allergic to people who, we may think, are too holy, too devout or too good. Such people give us to feel a bit uncomfortable. Unless we change, it won’t get any better in Heaven; in fact, it will only get worse. We won’t want to be in Heaven.

“The Lord is near to all who call on him!”

A few minutes ago, we heard St. Paul declare that in order to be in sync with God, we need to hold our bodies and the bodies of others in great respect; even reverence. That means there is no room for sexual hanky panky; no room at all. More important than this, though, is that God is calling each and every baptized person to do as John, Andrew, and Simon did. We are all to follow Jesus and become his missionary disciples. We may feel weak, imperfect, and fragile, yes, and that is what we offer, but the Lord brings to bear his power, holiness, and divine mercy; so in this partnership, God can do wonders and in fact does wonders through us. Jesus wants to fill us with the life and love of the Holy Spirit and send us out into the world to bring his good news to all those poor people who are starving and thirsting for the good news that God loves them unconditionally.

In our day, we have no excuse. Anyone can own a Bible as well as a copy of the Catechism. Anyone with a computer or smart phone with internet can read the Bible, the Catechism, and even listen to the Liturgy of the Hours and read along. The Lord, in the Word He addresses to us today, is testing us, scrutinizing our spirits, to bring to light our willingness to let Him work in us and bring about his holy will in us, for our own good and for the good of others. We have everything at our fingertips.

“Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will!”

“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 

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Lord, cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him. Alleluia! - April 30th, 2023 - 4th Sunday of Easter - 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 Easter 

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 

“Lord, cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him. Alleluia!” 

The challenges humanity currently faces are considerable: wars and conflicts, hunger and famine, the gap between rich and poor, our troubled and threatened environment, political and economic discords, divisions among Christian churches, pressures from work on married couples, parents, and families, various forms of abuse, and personally, uncertainties, sufferings, frustrations, fears, and confusions. As Jesus did in his day, now Pope Francis does not necessarily propose specific solutions, but like the Lord Jesus, Francis invites all of humanity to collaborate for the common good, and in forgiveness and fraternity.

“Lord, cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him. Alleluia!”

At the level of the human person and of each individual, we all face challenges from the demands of life, of health, and of aging, from poverty and waste, between pleasure and pain, from the balance between my good and the good of others, between truth and justice, but most of all, the challenge of maturation, moral development, and conscience. In all this mess, the ways of the Lord are not our ways. Jesus did not try to reform the Roman Empire, nor the Temple, nor the Council of the Sanhedrin. No, Jesus came to bring the Good News to people, to individuals of all ages. Jesus still seeks to touch our hearts. If we recognize his voice and follow Him, we will be saved. Eternal life begins the moment we welcome within us God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ whom He has sent. 

“Lord, cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him. Alleluia!” 

In his passion, Jesus gives us the perfect example of the child of God who, in every trial of life, completely trusts in God the Father. Each sorrow, each temptation, each trial permitted by God our Father, by our faith, purifies the intentions of our heart, strengthens us, and makes us realize that, in life, all is gift. Yes, we make efforts, we take decisions, we realize tasks, but all that is good comes to us from the hand of God and comes to us gratuitously. The Father loves us, and He deserves our trust. This is how hope arises within us, and the Holy Spirit enables us to breathe, in the peace which He gives. 

“Lord, cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him. Alleluia!”

When I accept to endure my own reactions in frustration and anger, there is an offering agreeable to God! When I forgive others their defects and their faults, and when I pray for my enemies, there is an offering agreeable to God!

“Lord, cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him. Alleluia!” 

When I open my eyes, my ears, my thoughts, and my heart to the difficulties of others, there is an offering agreeable to God! When I do something to care for our common home – the natural environment – there is an offering agreeable to God! When I take care of the little ones, the elderly, widows and orphans, there is an offering agreeable to God! When I take care of the sick or the lonely, there is an offering agreeable to God! When I visit prisoners, or when I come to the aid of refugees, of itinerants, of strangers, or of people who are ignored or counted as nothing, there is an offering agreeable to God!

Still today, Jesus says to us: “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Then, nourished and strengthened by Him, in the second movement, Jesus sends us all out: “Go and proclaim the good news, and make disciples. You have received freely; now, give freely.”

“Lord, cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him. Alleluia!”

“Lord Jesus, we are sinners, we are poor, and we are weak. You, our Good Shepherd, in your great and divine mercy, forgive our sins, repair our defects, heal our wounds, strengthen our weaknesses, and fill us with your Holy Spirit. Send us out and accompany us as we go to the people of our time; help us to share with them the Good News that You rose from the dead; You are the Son of God; You love them and You offer them a new life which will lead them and us into eternal life. Come, Lord Jesus. O my Jesus, I trust in You.”  

“Lord, cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him. Alleluia!” 

“Mary Mother of God, St. Joseph, walk with us 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 lay down our offering together with 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.

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

© 2006-2023 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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Rejoice! Jesus comes to manifest his power as God in our poverty and weakness. - December 11th, 2022 - 3rd Sunday in Advent - The L.S.M. of C.A.M. at St. Willibrord Church, Verdun

  3rd Sunday in Advent 

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 

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 

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Alleluia!”

Sisters! Brothers! Again, good evening. Have you ever thrown one spaghetti strand to the ceiling or wall in your kitchen to see whether it was done? They say that if it sticks; then, it’s ready. I may have tried that in my youth, but I didn’t like it; rather, I learned to bite into it and in this way, I developed a conviction about the precise moment when the pasta is “al dente”, which means, literally, “to the tooth”; that is, cooked but still firm, not soggy. There is no better conviction than that which comes through our own personal experience. This is the great lesson of life that we all come to learn as we journey through our youth towards adulthood.

For many centuries now, Christians – especially in the Western and Eastern traditions – rejoice on this day, the 3^rd Sunday in Advent, realizing that “the Lord is near”. Are we able to rejoice, simply on hearing someone say to us: “Rejoice!”? Anyone can, with effort, put on a happy face, but that is not the same as joy. In a similar way, nothing and no one can make us happy. Happiness is a wild thing that unpredictably drops in, unannounced, perhaps when certain conditions are right. Joy, on the other hand, is a gift from God, a heavenly attitude.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Alleluia!”

Have you noticed recently any of God’s wondrous miracles? Don’t be too quick to say no. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.” These things happened too often to count during the 3 short years Jesus walked this Earth. Then, before his Ascension into Heaven, Jesus commissioned his disciples to “go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and to observe all that I have taught you.” Jesus assured them, and us, that He would manifest his power and glory through us and confirm the truth of our words with his deeds of power.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Alleluia!”

If we haven’t seen manifestations of Jesus’ power to transform hard hearts, to reconcile enemies, to heal the sick, to give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and speech to the mute, or to make the lame walk; it is perhaps because we have not dared to ask, we have not risked making fools of ourselves by offering to pray with others, to gently lay hands on them in prayer.

Another possibility is that we have prayed in faith for others, but our eyes have been blind and our ears closed to notice the Lord acting with power in the lives of those for whom we have prayed. We pray, then walk away; we stop paying attention. Well, maybe it’s time to wake up!

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Alleluia!”

“But Father, you’re a priest; we’re only lay people. We don’t have Holy Orders!” Ah, yes, but Jesus ordained only the 12 Apostles. All the other disciples were lay people. Jesus sent all of them, as he sends all of us, all of you, to go out and make disciples by telling people about Jesus, offering to pray with them, and calling on the Lord to show them that He is real.

People say: “I don’t need Confession. I confess my sins to God directly.” Wonderful! Do this often, but you also need to be reconciled. We are all connected in Christ. Every sin I do affects everyone. Every act of love, courage, service, or generosity that I fail to do darkens the sky over us all. Jesus is our Head. Jesus alone can restore our unity and peace, our solidarity in love, and our joy in the Father’s love. Jesus has chosen to offer this reconciliation through the ministry of his priests. When I offend the whole Body of Christ and God; only God’s chosen envoy can bring me back through reconciliation into the communion of the Most Holy Trinity.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Alleluia!”

Jesus came for sinners. He wants to shine the Light of his truth to dispel the darkness deep within us. His Light is gentle, a divine Fire which burns away all that is sinful, bitter, impure, untrue, false, to make room for the love, peace, goodness, truth, and beauty which are in the Most Holy Trinity. One of the fruits God gives in a good Confession is heavenly JOY!

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 hopes and our fears, our desires and our regrets, and even our sins and our repentance. Let us open wide our spirit to God; so that He may do in us all that He desires to do: to forgive, to heal, and to give life.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Alleluia!”

“Mary Queen of Peace, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. St. Brother André, pray for us. St. Kateri, pray for us. 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 blazing Light of God.

 

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

 

© 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

Funeral Mass - Alice Winifred Marolly - Dec. 30th, 2020 - Sainte Suzanne Parish Church

Homily in MP3 mode file         These Christmas Days we wonder at the marvelous light shining on the face of the Infant Jesus - and we get the message that all God wants of us is to share friendship and the love of family bonds. If we accept to receive what God offers; then He is free to give us all that He wants to give. However, if we don't accept to receive his offer; then He can do very little for us. In such a case, we isolate ourselves and are "on our own". This choice is ours not only in a potential relationship with God, but in all our relations.

Brief Communion Reflection - Closing Rites - in MP3 mode file            Alice Winifred Marolly obviously enjoyed a close relationship with her God, and this was reflected in how she related to everyone else, beginning with her family. How can we delve more deeply into fully engaging and rich relationships with others and also with God? It begins at every moment with "desire". We are so designed that there emerge within us many desires, but the key desire is to have a relationship with someone... with other human beings... and also with God. As long as we nurture this desire and do something about it; then the other can respond and reciprocate. If I stop desiring; then I shut the gate. 

At the cemetery - Bede Jarrett's poem prayer 

We Give Them Back to You, O Lord

We give them back to You, O Lord who first gave them to us;

yet as You did not lose them in the giving, 

so we do not lose them by their return…..

For what is yours is ours also, if we belong to You.

Love is undying, and life is unending, 

        and the boundary of this mortal life is but a horizon, 

        and the horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.

Lift us up, strong Son of God, that we may see further. 

Cleanse our eyes that we may see more clearly….

And while You prepare the place for us, 

        prepare us also for that happy place; that we may be with You, 

        and with those we love forevermore.

 

Prayer used by Fr Bede Jarrett, O.P. (22 August 1881 – 17 March 1934)

Written by William Penn (1644 – 1718)

Jesus is calling us... you... and me... "Be ready!" - Sunday Nov. 8th, 2020 - MQP - JLW Parish

 Homily MP3 file                     Homily PDF file    

Good day dear brothers and sisters! There is no doubt at all that today the Lord Jesus, the Eternal Word of the Father and his beloved Son, is giving us a wake-up call. His word to us today is not only about the end of the world – the end of human history – but it is also about the end of our individual and personal lives. We are all going to die, and there’s nothing we can do to stop that from happening.

The good news is that what Jesus is telling us is not morbid or depressing; rather it is very good news. What is so good about dying or the end of the world you ask? The good news is that God our Father loves us so much that He is constantly offering us the gift of his only Son, Jesus, the One who has overcome death. It is this Jesus, Risen from the dead, who now invites us to do what it is that we can do to be ready for these two final days, whichever will come first.

The day of my own death may come first; on the other hand, the final day of human history may come first, while we are all still alive on Planet Earth. Either way, we need to be ready.

We can’t possibly understand what we need to do in order to be ready for the moment of our own death or for the moment of the end of human history; unless we begin to understand who God is. We need to personally come to know God, our Father, and his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit because at the moment of our death – when our soul will leave our body behind in death – our soul will be brought into the radiant presence of the Most Holy Trinity.

If the end of human history comes first, as Saint Paul described it to the Thessalonians, we will be brought body and soul into the radiant presence of the Most Holy Trinity.

Either way, when we come face to face with our God, the Creator of the Universe, his face – which is the human face of Jesus Risen from the dead – is radiant with the life giving power of divine love. The light radiating from God will appear to us, for the first time, to be so radiant that our own self – body, mind, heart, and soul – will become transparent for all to see.

On that day there will no longer be any secrets, not even from our own self. If today I am hiding the truth about me from my own self; on that day all my secrets will be revealed and be visible in the light of day and in the light of God’s love.

If we don’t want to spend eternity in embarrassment, regret, and despair; then we need to face the truth about ourselves together with the truth about everyone else and also about God.

The truth about God is that the Father loves us so much that He sent his only begotten Son into our world to become human, a man, with the cooperation of Mary – Myriam of Nazareth – his Mother. Joseph of Nazareth took Myriam to be his wife and loved Jesus as his own son.

We human beings have a lot of strange ideas about God. Because of the original sin, our damaged human condition, we find it difficult to trust in God. It is so hard for us to be good and kind, to put the interests of others first, ahead of our own interests. It seems impossible for us to get rid of bad habits and to really love others, even strangers and enemies.

That is why God’s plan to save us let Jesus be falsely accused, condemned, tortured, and put to death on a cross, the cruelest death imaginable. This was the only way the Son of God could demonstrate the authenticity of God’s love for us, for every human being, even for those who were his accusers and executioners. Jesus’ last acts in this life were to ask the Father to forgive his accusers and executioners – He even gave them an excuse – “for they know not what they do.” Then he entrusted his Mother Mary to his beloved disciple and apostle John, and He also entrusted John – and all of us – to Mary and her love for us.

Mary has been very busy over the last two centuries – appearing to Saint Bernadette in Lourdes, France in 1858, to Saints Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta at Fatima in 1917, and in many other places – and in every apparition our Blessed Mother Mary pleads with us to stop sinning, to repent and stop offending the love God has for us. This was also the message that Jesus proclaimed: “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news.”

This is not rocket science… it is not mysterious or impossible to understand. All we have to do is stop, be quiet, and listen to the interior voice of our own conscience. The Holy Spirit is within us to shine the light of God in our mind, heart, and soul to help us see the truth about ourselves and the way we are living, thinking, speaking, behaving, and acting.

We are called to love everyone – beginning with our own family – with genuine love that puts the needs and the good of the other first, ahead of my own needs and good. We can only do that by first putting our trust in God, that God is taking care of us, and that we have nothing to fear; no matter how bad the news may be in the world around us. Come and see two posters that show us by art how Jesus and Mary suffer with us in all our trials, difficulties, and sins.

If you haven’t been to confession in a long time, maybe now would be a good time to do it while we are still alive on this Earth. Jesus waits in the person of the priest to give us his mercy.

So let us continue to pray for one another that we might accept the encouragement and grace of the Holy Spirit to open wide our heart, our mind, our spirit and even our body to the presence and the love of God: the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us take a few moments in silence to reflect on this Good News spoken to us by the Lord.

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