The Lord is near to all who call on him! Lord, make me know your ways! - January 21st, 2024 - 3rd 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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3rd 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....

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!”

Good morning, sisters and brothers in the Lord. The Word of the Lord speaks to us this morning about his ways of dealing with the world. Through the Book of the Prophet Jonah, the Lord tells us of his love for all peoples. He would even send a Jewish prophet to foreigners who were living badly and were in need of conversion. God our Creator gives us the gift of life, and He has designed us to have fullness of life by living in peace and love with our neighbours.

When we choose not to live in peace and love with our neighbours, we become less human, living a life that is not holy, a perversion. But what happens then? God sent Jonah to warn the people of Nineveh that if they did not repent, they would be overthrown. This Word of God still applies today: there are many cities or lands that behave badly like Nineveh did centuries before Jesus. Russia invading Ukraine, and Hamas attacking and killing civilians in Israel are only two examples always in the news, but there are many, many others doing evil things.

“Lord, make me know your ways!”

Evil events and tragedies are usually caused by injustices. When Gorbachev was making renewal in the U.S.S.R. in the 1980’s, he talked with world leaders about the future. They all agreed on the unification of Germany, and the Berlin wall came down. They assured Gorbachev NATO would not move any closer to Russia, but until today, world leaders did the opposite. Led by the U.S.A., they got nations close to Russia to join NATO. Very few of us would approve of Russia’s war against Ukraine; it is brutal, tragic, and an evil thing. It was also wrong for the West to push the military alliance of NATO to the very borders of Russia.

Similar evil and injustices have happened between Israel and Palestine. For centuries, there was no Israel, and Jewish people no longer had a homeland. They lived as strangers in all the countries where they built their lives. Since the invasions by Muslim armies in the 7^th century, what is now Israel was known as Palestine, and it was mostly an Arab land. There were Jews and Christians living there, but they were minorities, and some of them got along well together.

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

When the Nazis exterminated some six million Jews and millions of others in the Holocaust, the Shoah, no western nation would help surviving Jews or accept to take them in. The newly formed United Nations helped establish the State of Israel in 1948. That was a good thing and it needed to happen. We can understand how the Jewish people want to protect their homeland, but these times are not like when their ancestors came from Egypt and God drove out the seven nations in that land and gave it to his Chosen People as their home. All these situations in the world show us how difficult it is for us human beings to know the ways of the Lord. What God did a long time ago is not necessarily what He is doing now.

Do you know that many Jews who survived the Holocaust lost their faith in God. They could not understand how God could allow their people to be exterminated like that. In many ways, we have the same problem with God and his ways. What our reading from Jonah did not say is that after the people repented, God relented from the disaster He had predicted. Jonah then was angry with God. It may have been because Jonah saw their bad behaviour and wanted them to be punished. Jonah didn’t much like God’s mercy and forgiveness to the people of Nineveh.

“Lord, make me know your ways!”

This morning, the Lord is scrutinizing us, our thoughts, our feelings, and our consciences. What are my attitudes toward God? Do I know his ways? Am I even willing to learn what are the ways of the Lord? Unless we learn the ways of the Lord, we can have no peace.

When Simon, Andrew, James, and John left their occupations and their lives to follow Jesus and begin a new life as his disciples; it was because they were at peace. They knew the ways of the Lord, and they recognized the ways of the Lord in Jesus, in his words, and in his actions.

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

The Lord’s ways are not our ways. The Lord’s ways are directed towards life that extends into eternity, but our ways are very limited to this mortal life alone. We tend to care only about this life on Earth, and we tend to put off thinking about what happens next. Though we believe in eternal life in Heaven with God, we are not eager to leave this life. Saint Paul’s words are wise. God wants us to live our life fully, but to avoid getting attached to this life; remembering to keep our eyes on our eternal destiny. What begins here is going to continue after we die. Just dying solves nothing. Who we are when we die is who we are when we get to the other side. We need to face our challenges, turn away from all that is wrong, and put loving care into action to everyone in our lives, even strangers, and even enemies. These are the ways of the Lord.

“Lord, make me know your ways!”

“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….

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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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If now I have found favour in your sight, O Lord, I pray, stay with me forever. Alleluia! - June 4th, 2023 - The Most Holy Trinity "A" - 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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The Most Holy Trinity 

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 

“Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers and
blessed is your glorious and holy name. Alleluia!”

Dear Sisters and Brothers, two weeks ago, on the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, I invited you to do a spiritual exercise – “God’s Sacred History with Me”. Did you try to do it? If you did, how did it go? Did you have any trouble remembering or identifying moments in your life when you were touched by God, by his power to save, by his love and mercy, by his healing grace? If you didn’t try to do it, I invite you to look into your heart to see – why not?

Of course, we are not obliged to remember when God blessed us; nor are we obligated to have a relationship with God our Creator, our Father, nor with Jesus, Our Lord, nor with the Holy Spirit. But then, why would we not want, not only to have, but also to develop a personal relationship with each of the three Divine Persons of the Most Blessed Trinity? 

“Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
and to be extolled and highly glorified forever. Alleluia!”

It all begins with believing that Jesus, the son of Mary, is the One sent by God the Father to come into the world to reveal to us that the Father loves us as his very own children, but more than that. Jesus is the One who reveals the Father to us; He makes it possible for us to come to know the Father personally, and that He loves me personally; He loves each of us personally.

“Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
and to be extolled and highly exalted forever. Alleluia!”

So, how does it happen, exactly, that Jesus reveals the Father to us? It all begins with us deciding to believe in Jesus, not only that He is the son of Mary, but also that He is the Son of God the Father, and that it is the Holy Spirit who caused Mary to conceive in her womb the baby boy whom she and Joseph would call a holy Name, Yeshoua in Hebrew. Jesus, in English, means “God saves”. Believing in Jesus as son of Mary and at the same time Son of God, we look at Him. We look at Him on the cross, in an image, or in our imagination – and, looking at Jesus, we contemplate Him – and we realize He is already looking at us with love. We accept and welcome his loving look, and He pours into us the fire of his divine Love, the Holy Spirit.

“Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne on the cherubim. Alleluia!”

Have you ever suffered from the painful impression that what you think doesn’t matter to anyone? It is a very common human experience to feel that no one cares about what I think. It is also true that the greatest pain experienced by people who are itinerant, living on the street, is feeling invisible because people passing by very rarely look into their eyes. St. Paul tells us to “greet one another with a holy kiss.” The person in front of me will feel that I care when I look into their eyes with love. They will feel that their thought matters if I listen to them express it.

“Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, to be sung and glorified forever. Alleluia!”

“Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped” in the presence of God. He made room for God in his thoughts and in his heart. Jesus made lots of room for his Father by spending many hours in the silence of the night watching and listening. St. Paul tells us to “agree with one another”. This just means making room for one another in our mind and heart. We don’t have to agree with others, and they don’t have to agree with us. But it is an act of love to make room for the other in my mind and in my heart. Then, the Holy Spirit actually uses others to teach me about them, about life, about myself, and about God.

“If now I have found favour in your sight, O Lord, I pray, stay with me forever. Alleluia!”

We have been blessed with 50 days of Easter and today we celebrate the wondrous mystery of the Most Holy Trinity – that our Creator God is actually a divine community of 3 Persons – and that we all come from God and are all returning to God. We can feel confused or afraid in the face of the unknown – whether it’s a strange or different or unknown human being or God. We have nothing to fear from God, who wants nothing but our good and our eternal happiness. But God’s ways are not our ways, and in the ways of the Lord, the unpleasant experiences of life – storms, accidents, illness, pain, misunderstanding, conflicts, temptation, and sin – all can be used by God to help us become the person we are meant to be, the person we want to be.

“If now I have found favour in your sight, O Lord, I pray, stay with me forever. Alleluia!”

I have placed on my website a spiritual exercise to help you go back over the moments when you were touched by the love of God. The people of God reflected on their sacred history with God; that’s the Bible. You also have a sacred history with God. On the Internet, look for my name – Gilles Surprenant blog – that will open a link Father Gilles Surprenant. Click on the link and you’ll come to my home page. There, you will see several navigation links; look for the link Fr. Gilles’ English Homilies and there you’ll find today’s homily with a link to:

 

 SPIRITUAL EXERCISE – “GOD’S SACRED HISTORY WITH ME”

 

https://fathergillespages.blogspot.com/2023/06/christian-prayer-gods-sacred-history.html

 

“If now we have found favour in your sight, O Lord, we pray, stay with us forever. 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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You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses to the end of the Earth. Alleluia! - May 21st, 2023 - Ascension of the Lord "A" - 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.

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

Ascension of the Lord  

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

 Gospel & 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 

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you will be my witnesses to the end of the Earth. Alleluia!” 

The apostles became witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. “After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” The day Jesus was to return to his Father, once more Jesus appeared to them, yet despite this indisputable and marvelous evidence, in spite of seeing Jesus with their own eyes, “some doubted”. What about us, what about our doubts? In the face of all the terrible things happening in the world, and in the face of our own trials, what about our own doubts regarding God? What are we to do with our doubts?

Dear brothers and sisters, it is important for us not to live our lives as though we were just sleepwalking, like people who never reflect on their experiences of God. Jesus never stopped provoking his apostles and disciples to reflect on the things of God, on his words, on the power of God at work in Him. Every day we must also reflect on the presence of God in the Church but also in us. Let us not lose sight of all the ways in which the Love of God touches our lives and the people we love.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you will be my witnesses to the end of the Earth. Alleluia!” 

Examine your memory; search your memories. What are the moments when you were touched by the love of God. While walking in nature? While saying your prayers? Reading Sacred Scripture? Reflecting in silence in a church? While participating during Holy Mass? When you were receiving Jesus in Holy Communion?

By his resurrection, Jesus gave them a great joy. It wasn’t happiness, because they still feared the authorities, but it was a heavenly joy. In your life, what has been your greatest joy? I’m not talking about happiness, but about joy in God. What has been your greatest joy? If it was truly joy and not simply a pleasure, then it was the love of God flowing through you, the living water of which Jesus spoke to his disciples.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you will be my witnesses to the end of the Earth. Alleluia!”

The love of God is constantly being given by the Father and Jesus his Son, because the love of God is the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit gives himself to us in a flood like the sun never stops shining even during the night. Our part is simply to remain open and receptive to this flow of divine life which is the love of God, the Holy Spirit. We are also to let fall every obstacle, every obstruction to this river of divine love which is in God and which seeks to fill us to purify us, to heal us, to strengthen us, and to send us out into the world.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you will be my witnesses to the end of the Earth. Alleluia!” 

Have you found it yet, the greatest joy that you ever had? If you have trouble remembering your greatest joy, don’t be discouraged. Relax and put your trust in the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you. You have all the time you need to recall your memories and to become aware and bring them back to mind. (A pause) 

“May He open to his light the eyes of your heart, so you may know the hope to which he has called you and the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe. Alleluia!” 

Imagine your greatest joy multiplied to the infinite…. WOW! Outstanding! Grandiose! Wonderful! Well, that is God. God puts into you his joy, his love. That is the Holy Spirit. God is Love, and he pours into you his Holy Spirit like a river. All we have to do is become aware of it and thank Him. Confession helps us to let go of all that obstructs the flow of God’s Spirit in us or prevents his love from flowing out from us to others. God’s love unites us to all of humanity; even to enemies. The Holy Spirit helps us take to heart the whole world, even enemies. 

“May He open to his light the eyes of your heart, so you may know the hope to which he has called you and the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe. Alleluia!”

I have placed on my website a spiritual exercise to help you go back over the moments when you were touched by the love of God. The people of God reflected on their sacred history with God; that’s the Bible. You also have a sacred history with God. On the Internet, look for my name – Gilles Surprenant with the word blog – you’ll see a link Father Gilles Surprenant. Click on the link and you’ll come to my home page. There, look for the link Fr. Gilles’ English Homilies and there you’ll find today’s homily with a link to:

 SPIRITUAL EXERCISE – “GOD’S SACRED HISTORY WITH ME” 

“May He open to his light the eyes of your heart, so you may know the hope to which he has called you and the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe. 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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Jesus invites us to the dance... to an intimate relationship with the Living God. - April 24th, 2022 - Divine Mercy Sunday, 2nd Sunday of Easter - MQP Church in JLW Parish

Divine Mercy Sunday - 2nd 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     Homily 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 

“Christ is risen! Alleluia!” “He is truly risen! Alleluia!”

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!”

You know, brothers and sisters, you know that we are all called by the Lord Jesus to be his disciples and to be missionary disciples with our arms and our hearts wide open; but we hesitate. So, what is it that we need in order to give full vent to our heart's desire to be with the Lord? 

My sisters! My brothers! Do you enjoy dancing? Great! Whether it is social dancing where the man and the woman hold each other’s hand and back to dance together, or whether it is line dancing in a group, to really enjoy the full delights of the occasion, of the music, and of one’s partner or group…you need two things.

First, you have to go along or let yourself be led by your partner or by the group. Then, and this is equally important, you need to participate, to make efforts, you have to do your part. You can’t expect other people to carry you like a baby is carried. Now, think back and remember your good memories of dancing… remember the benefits of having let yourself be led by a partner or by a group. What joy to enter into the dance and the festivity….

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!”

So, hopefully you have known the benefits of letting yourself be led in the dance, or at least you have seen others dancing. Now, remember all the efforts that you made to follow your partner or the group, your efforts to learn the various dances, the steps, and the great satisfaction you enjoyed for your success in dancing. What joy and fun to be able to join in the festivity!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!”

Well, either you know how to dance or at least you accept that in order to dance you need to let yourself be led, but you also need to participate and make efforts. Now, I may surprise you with my next statement. Your experience and understanding of dancing are assets that now you can apply with advantage in your relationship with God. Surprised? If you want to know and love God more, well then, simply accept his invitation to dance with Him!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!”

Fr. Gilles, are you nuts proposing that we dance with God? No, I'm not crazy. To dance, what do you need? You need an occasion, you need music, and you need either a partner or a group. To dance with God, every moment is an opportune occasion. Whether it is when going to bed or when rising in the morning, when preparing for the day or preparing for sleep; whether it is before, during, or after meals; at work or at school, doing housecleaning, groceries, laundry, gardening, or when it is about being together as a family or especially an intimate moment between spouses, or any other occupation, the moment is always right to enter into the presence of God. God is always and everywhere present. All we have to do is open our heart to Him.

“Christ is risen! Alleluia!” “He is truly risen! Alleluia!”

You don't sound very convinced. 

“Christ is risen! Alleluia!” “He is truly risen! Alleluia!”

You need to stand up; you're not breathing properly. Try standing for a moment. 

“Christ is risen! Alleluia!” “He is truly risen! Alleluia!”

Much better. Sit down, please.  

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!”

All right then; so, if every moment is a good moment to dance with God, what's the music? What is the music to which we can dance with God? It is a celestial music… the music of the Holy Spirit… it is the music of the love of God which flows like a river inside of us, flowing from the vitality of the love within the Most Holy Trinity… that music of intimate love between the Father and his Son Jesus and the Son to the Father, the loving bond of the Holy Spirit. This music - mysterious, but true, celestial within us, is a glimpse of Heaven which rises within us at any time when we contemplate beauty – a lovely landscape, each person who loves us and whom we love, the abundance of living creatures on the earth, in the waters, and in the air – we have only to stop for an instant and take the time to breathe quietly… and behold the celestial music gently rising within us.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!”

Well then, we have plenty of occasions every day to dance with God, we have this mysterious music of God flowing within us, all right. So, do I hear this celestial music? He says we are never without music for dancing with Him; for He causes this very mysterious celestial music to arise within us from the very depths of our spirit. It is also like a fire, a heat of love which comes to warm us; it is the Divine Mercy. This gentle fire of Mercy is Jesus who will never cease loving us.

Thus, with God, we never lack a dancing partner or group to dance with. The group which dances to God’s music is our faith assembly, yes, but it is also our family, our neighbourhood, our friends, our work colleagues, our school acquaintances, and every person opening their heart and their spirit to the Divine Mercy, to the love and knowledge of God.

At every moment, the dance partner par excellence given to us by the Father is his Son Jesus, risen from the dead, and now living forever in Heaven with the Father, but still forever present to us here on Earth. Jesus is the Divine Mercy of God.

Well then, how exactly do we do this? How do we dance with Jesus? To dance with Jesus, all we have to do is pray, and what is praying? It is simply visiting with God. As soon as I open my mind and heart and look towards God, towards Jesus, I'm already at prayer. We visit with God when we contemplate God, in the Scriptures, reading the Gospel, the Psalms, the letters of the Apostles, and all the books of Sacred Scripture in the Bible. As soon as we turn the eyes of our spirit to Jesus, we are already at prayer and behold, Jesus is there taking us into his arms for the dance. Jesus is always ready, and at every moment it is up to us to enter into the mystery. Lord, I don't understand it, I don't get it, but, I want. Here I am. 

“Christ is risen! Alleluia!” “He is truly risen! Alleluia!”

 “O my Jesus, I trust in You!” Thanks be to God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

In silence now, the Holy Spirit continues to pour the Divine Mercy deeply into our spirit..

 

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

Remembering & praying for Alice Marolly - Father, fill our minds, hearts, and souls with your Love given to us in Jesus - Friday in the 4th Week of Advent, Christmas Eve - December 24th, 2021 - Sainte-Suzanne Parish

Remembering & praying for Alice Marolly - much loved mother and grandmother who passed into eternity on Christmas Day, December 25th, 2020

 Gospel & Homily - MP3 

Preparation for Holy Communion - MP3 

Prayers of the Faithful after Holy Communion - MP3

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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

The Lord invites us to reflect on all the times He has personally touched our lives - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time - LSM sponsored by CAM - July 11th, 2021 - OLF Parish

  Homily MP3 version        

Prayer Exercise #2 – Letting God Show You His Presence and Care throughout Your Whole Life

A good, holy, elderly priest – Fr. Walter Lallemand, a war veteran who as a recovering alcoholic was a man familiar with suffering – in February 1977 gave us young adults a prayer exercise to see our life like that of the people of Israel in the Bible. Like theirs, each journey is a sacred history of God’s grace. This is an invitation to reflect in God’s presence with your memory. Ask God to help you remember – whether you realized it at the time or not – when God was there for you and with you. Sharper memories may present themselves first – times when you were loved and cared for – or moments of pain, illness, discomfort, or sadness. God can impress his Love on us powerfully in times of trial. As this relies on our ability to remember, it is an exercise that you can return to and add onto several times over the years. Each experience we remember becomes a treasure enriching and enlightening our life and relationship with God and others. Each box helps organize thoughts / memories and reflect on them. You can use more paper. May the Holy Trinity reveal to you and bless your sacred history.

God’s Sacred History with Me

(You can print this out as a spiritual exercise and fill in the blanks... use a separate sheet....)

COME HOLY SPIRIT, ENLIGHTEN MY SPIRIT. HELP ME REMEMBER THE GRACES I HAVE RECEIVED. THANK YOU, FATHER, FOR YOUR LOVE, IN JESUS YOUR SON OUR LORD.

AGE / OR YEAR / DATE

WHAT HAPPENED

CORE OF THE MEMORY

HOW I FELT

ROLE ANOTHER PERSON PLAYED

HOW I WAS AFFECTED

HOW GOD WAS / IS WITH ME

HOW I FEEL NOW

WHAT'S NEXT?

Saint Joseph, pray for us. 

 

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

 

© 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

Indigenous people, our neighbors, God... We must take interest in others to develop a relationship with them and love them - 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time - MQP Church in JLW Parish - June 27th, 2021

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First, it was the bones of some 215 indigenous children that were uncovered in a common grave at a former residential school for indigenous children. Now others have discovered what may be the bones of another 751 people, probably mostly children but also including adults.

In the face of uncovered tragedy and the suspicion of foul play, investigations will look into the living conditions of the indigenous children who lived, ran away, or died in those residential schools. We need to recall how our ancestors lived in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. I grew up in the 1950’s hearing stories about my grandparents lining up in the 1930’s for “Direct Relief” – in French “Le Secours Direct” – which allowed them to buy basic food staples.

“Jesus said… ‘Do not fear, only believe.’”

During the entire period preceding WWII, there were few if any government assistance programs, and the average family did not eat very well. As children, my parents only received oranges at Christmas. So, it isn’t surprising that the religious who operated the residential schools were unable to give the children what we would consider today a balanced diet.

In the face of this tragedy, it is easy to forget that religious missionaries lived among native and indigenous peoples, learned their languages and cultures, and produced grammars and dictionaries, translating parts of the Bible into those languages and printing them. Before the missionaries, native and indigenous peoples had no written documents. Their cultures were entirely oral traditions. We as a colonizing society need to be patient with the investigations that will follow, and to enter into the dialogue that native and indigenous peoples are already opening up to all of us. They desire truthful and trusting dialogue with us as equals. Shall we?

“Jesus said… ‘Do not fear, only believe.’”

We cannot see others as equals as long as we harbor prejudices and biases that make them less than us. Once I decide to treat others as equals, then I begin to look at them and listen to them differently. I am now free to take interest in them, to try to walk in their shoes for a while, and once I do that, I discover new friends who are interesting and who have a lot to teach us.

Surprisingly, it is much the same with God. As long as we harbor grudges or doubts about God; then it is not possible for us to understand God, much less to love Him. Four generations before Jesus was born, the author of the Book of Wisdom made a strong case for God as loving Creator who designed us to live an abundant life on Earth and to go on living in eternity. When we believe that God is good, then our mind, heart, spirit, and soul open up to God and the Holy Spirit can then empower us to enter into the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. As our interior life enters into communion with God, we become able to see life, the world, and others as God sees, and we are empowered by God to accept to be loved and to love God and others freely.

That is why the Son of God came to Earth to be conceived in Mary’s womb and be born into this world as Jesus. When He was around 30, Jesus began his public ministry, and as we saw in today’s Gospel, Jesus went about meeting people and giving them an opportunity to get to know God as kind and loving. Those who believed in Jesus were blessed in countless ways, and their lives were changed and made completely new.

“Jesus said… ‘Do not fear, only believe.’”

As it is today, some people laughed at Jesus and refused to believe. They preferred to think He was crazy. The Apostles and bearers of the Good News in every time and place have also gotten mixed reactions. Those who believe meet the living God who makes their lives new, but those who disbelieve or mock stay as they are, locked up in their closed minds and hearts.

Native and indigenous peoples in every generation since colonization began have had to endure both kinds of people. They were generally blessed by the kind and selfless missionaries, but they were made to suffer at the hands of entrepreneurs who came along and exploited them. Sadly, not all religious or clergy are saints; some of them are selfish or even mentally unstable, which makes them dangerous. That is why we must be wary, use our brains, and take care.

“Jesus said… ‘Do not fear, only believe.’”

In his letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul calls on the generosity of the early Christians in Greece and Asia Minor, parts of Iraq and Turkey today. In 48 A.D. there was a famine in Judea and Jerusalem, and the Christians in the churches founded by Saint Paul gave generously to rescue their fellow Christians at risk of starving. We continue this charity today as we respond to appeals from Catholic and other Christian organizations that aid people suffering because of famine, war, natural disasters, and other tragedies driving them to become refugees.

“Jesus said… ‘Do not fear, only believe.’”

“Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper! You have turned my mourning into dancing. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.”

Glory be to the Father, and to + the Son, and to the Holy Spirit... Amen.

Let us take a few moments to allow God to renew and deepen our trust in Him.

 

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