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

       Homily MP3 version                                 Homily PDF version      


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.

 

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

 

© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC

The indigenous children who were buried in secret reveal great contempt for human life; while Jesus shed his blood to make visible God's love - Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - LSM sponsored by CAM - May 23rd, 2021 - OLF Parish

      Homily MP3 version                                 Homily PDF version      

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;
come give to us, O saving Lord, the Bread of Life to eat!


The media are saturated with news about the bones of some 215 indigenous children uncovered in a common grave at a former residential school for indigenous children. This media attention stands in sharp contrast with the secrecy in which these children disappeared. Taken from their families, each of these children’s lives obviously had no value in the eyes of their school. This is doubly tragic. 

Our society expects to find more hidden graves elsewhere. This shocking discovery exposes the contempt that indigenous peoples have generally suffered at the hands of our whole society since the time of our first colonists from Europe five centuries ago. All the treaties and agreements made between our governors since the beginning of our colonies with indigenous peoples have generally been violated or ignored. This is an extraordinary injustice.

On his part, our God keeps his covenants. The blood of sacrificial animals was sprinkled on the people to signify the seriousness of the covenant offered by God. If one or other party broke his part of the covenant, then his blood was to be shed. Whenever the people of Israel were unfaithful to the covenant, their blood was indeed shed by the sword of their enemies.

Seeing our incapacity to be faithful, God let the blood of his own Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, be shed on the soldiers’ courtyard, on the way of the cross, and finally on the cross on Calvary. Jesus shed his blood to the very last drop. Jesus’ passion and death made visible the love of God for us, for each and every one of us. The Most Holy Trinity hopes that seeing Jesus on the cross our hard heart will break; then God’s love can penetrate into our heart to heal us and fill us with divine life.

By our Baptism the divine life of the Trinity seeks to replace the evil and selfishness which tends to destroy humanity. By our Confirmation the Holy Spirit strengthens us to dare believe in the love of God and trust in Him. By the Penance and Reconciliation of Confession Jesus erases our sins and renews in us this new life in God. As a mother feeds her baby at her breast, in each Holy Communion Jesus gives us a transfusion of the divine life He has by the love of the Father in the Holy Spirit.

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;
come give to us, O saving Lord, the Bread of Life to eat!

It is high time for us to no longer treat God with contempt, this God who in Jesus shows Himself to be so sincere, so vulnerable, so merciful, so completely given and so generous. It is up to us to decide every day to make a return of love to God the Holy Trinity in prayer and devotion; while at the same time making courageous and generous efforts day by day to love our neighbor as ourselves, especially those who are most difficult to love.

If we want to be forgiven and to live in peace, we must forgive all those who offend us. God never tires of forgiving us; in our turn, let us not tire of forgiving others their sins and offenses against us.

God, this Most Holy Trinity who created us, who saves us in Jesus, and who sanctifies us in the Holy Spirit, this God who is the source of the fire which makes the stars burn, this God makes himself so discrete towards us, in all tenderness and mercy…. God quietly respects our freedom, all the while hoping that from one moment to the next, from day to day, we will freely choose to live, to behave, and to love as children of God….

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;
come give to us, O saving Lord, the Bread of Life to eat!

Dear brothers, dear sisters, let us contemplate for a few minutes in silence this Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the Tabernacle and who in a few minutes will once again be present on the Altar in his Body and Blood risen from the dead and alive under the appearance of bread and wine.

Now for 4 minutes in silence we will contemplate and adore the Most Holy Trinity.

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;
come give to us, O saving Lord, the Bread of Life to eat!

 

  

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

 

 

© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC

Our Almighty God the Holy Trinity are discrete and gentle with us - Most Holy Trinity Sunday - MQP Church in JLW Parish - May 30th, 2021

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In the name of the Father, and of + the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.


        Dear brothers, dear sisters, think of all that you learned on your parents’ knees about life, the difference between what is good and what is bad, and how it is a good thing to love well our brothers and sisters… all the truth that illuminates our thoughts and directs our hearts is infused into us by God our Father and Creator; so that we might resemble Him in all our thoughts, attitudes, words, gestures, and actions.

Dear brothers, dear sisters, take a deep breath… each time we breathe in, we breathe in the very breath of God, and when we breathe out, we return to our Creator God his breath that He gives us out of love; so that we might have his very own life within us.

Dear brothers, dear sisters, look at the holy Body of Jesus on the Cross… contemplate Him… as you contemplate his torment, his agony, his passion and death on the Cross, examine the depths of your heart and spirit… do you not feel compassion for Jesus for all that He accepted to endure out of love for you; feel gratitude for what He has done in offering us the adoption which makes us children of God; feel adoration in front of this Real Presence of Jesus so generous and available under the appearance of Eucharistic Bread, his Body and Blood?

Out of love for the humanity He created, our Father and Creator God sent his Son, the Eternal Word, to give to his people through Moses the Ten Commandments; so that everyone who keeps them may have “well-being… (and) may long remain in the land that the Lord (our) God is giving (us) for all time.” Let us hold in pity and have compassion for the whole of humanity which in our day is making a horrible and terrifying holocaust of millions of innocents from their mother’s womb, and for all those women who all too often are abandoned by their men and their families, but also for all those men who abandon their unique and irreplaceable role as fathers, defenders, protectors, and husbands who cherish their spouse.

Our of love for ourselves whom God has created, let us remember for a few moments all those instances in our life when we let ourselves be overwhelmed by “fear (even though we have) received a spirit of adoption to sonship (and daughterhood by which) we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” The Most Holy Trinity has great compassion for us who feel so small when facing our fears. At every moment of fear, let us put the fear aside and remember this Presence of the Holy Spirit within us. “Come Holy Spirit, Consoler, and revive in us the love of the Father and hope for eternal life.”

At the moment of the Ascension of Jesus on the mountain, “they worshipped Him; but some doubted.” We also have doubts from time to time, and the Most Holy Trinity is fully aware of our struggles; the Father, Jesus his Son, and the Holy Spirit look upon us and contemplate us with divine love, which is more intense than the star which is our Sun… this love is given to us in Jesus the Word of God and Jesus the Holy Eucharist; let us allow this Love of God burn away in us all that is not worthy of God.

Glory be to the Father, and to + the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, 
is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

God, this Most Holy Trinity who created us, who save us in Jesus, and who sanctify us in the Holy Spirit, this God who is the source of the fire which makes the stars burn, this God makes himself for us so discrete, in all tenderness and transparency…. God quietly respects our freedom, all the while hoping that from one moment to the next, from day to day, we will freely choose to live, to behave, and to love as children of God….

Dear brothers, dear sisters, let us contemplate for a few minutes in silence this dynamic, life-giving, and redemptive Presence of the Most Holy Trinity within us. At the end of the time of adoration and contemplation in silence I will begin another “Glory be”.

We give glory to You, O God: the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

  

Now for 4 minutes in silence we will contemplate and adore the Most Holy Trinity.

  

Glory be to the Father, and to + the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, 
is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

  

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

 

© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC

God continues to pour out his Holy Spirit on mankind - we are free to accept or refuse - Pentecost Sunday - LSM sponsored by CAM - May 23rd, 2021 - OLF Parish

Fr. Gilles' Homily followed by Pope Francis' Homily for Pentecost  

     Homily MP3 version                                 Homily PDF version      


So, this evening you’re going to be treated to two homilies. I will only give one, but I have a few copies printed of Pope Francis’ homily which he gave today, that was quite remarkable. I was actually tempted to read it, but the Holy Spirit said “No. No. You give your homily and we’ll take care of the rest. So, there you are.

So, what happened all those centuries ago on the day of Pentecost, which was a feast that the Jews normally celebrated to anticipate the harvest and to give thanks and worship to God. The Lord used it to perfect all the work that He had been doing with his people for centuries before. When we read the Bible, the Old Testament, the Jewish Scriptures, we see once in a while a man or a woman stand out because God chose them for a particular purpose, and the Holy Spirit gave them strength, you know. Something happened to them. They changed and they suddenly became courageous, strong, and they had the power from above to do a very difficult thing that God was calling them to do. But these people were exceptional. What Pentecost manifested was God’s promise all those centuries that the day would come when He would pour out his Spirit on all mankind – not just the chosen, not just the Christians, not just the Catholics – but on the whole of mankind. We need to really get with that program. God wants to pour Himself out on all of mankind.

Now what is it that happens when the Holy Spirit fills a human being? What is that? Well, over the centuries the saints, the prophets, and the bishops, the fathers of the Church were given by the Holy Spirit to preach and teach all kinds of images to help us understand. One beautiful image is that of dew – I think it was St. Irenaeus, but don’t count on that, my memory is not that good – where would our world be without water? Nothing would grow. We ourselves would die within at most a month without water.

In the life of the spirit, in the interior life we carry within us an immortal soul, a spirit; we are flesh and spirit. Our spirit also needs dew or moisture – that’s the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the life, the vitality, the power, the love that is in the Trinity: the relationship between the Father and the Son is a Person, the Holy Spirit. And God created us in such a way that He would be able to pour into us a sharing in that vitality, that life, that dew, that moisture, that living water that is in God. We are created to contain that Living Water, but not as in a jar with the lid tightly closed.

If we try to contain and keep to ourselves the life, the Living Water from God, it doesn’t work, and we ourselves dry up and atrophy. We cannot keep for ourselves the Holy Spirit. That is why the 120 apostles and disciples, men and woman who surrounded Mary and did as Jesus told them to do and waited and prayed and prayed and waited for ten days after the Ascension. That’s why when the Holy Spirit came upon them – watch out! You know – I mean they went berserk in a good way, filled with joy and enthusiasm and they couldn’t shut up. And it was strange, you know, because all the people in Jerusalem for the Pentecost feast heard the commotion – first they heard the noise of the wind and then they heard the commotion, and they were all astonished to hear them speaking in their own language.

Well, in the same way that rain and moisture produce different life and vitality and fruit in different kinds of trees according to their nature; in the same way we all drink water but it does different things in each of us according to our nature, our individuality; so, it is that the Holy Spirit in each person produces what the Holy Spirit wants to produce according to who we are. So, a person depressed is lifted up by the Holy Spirit, someone wounded is healed, someone crippled can walk again, someone blind can see again, someone who’s afraid of their shadow becomes bold and courageous; and this happens the moment we step out of ourselves.

If we try to keep the Holy Spirit and tighten the lid on the jar, nothing happens, but if we take a step, if we don’t know what we’re going to say but we open our mouth anyway and start talking; then the Holy Spirit bursts and wonderful things happen. That’s what Catholic Action Montreal is all about, is providing a venue, a template, an interface, a possibility for people to see occasions to do that very thing: to step out and come to the aid of someone in need and share their gifts.

Why do we not see the world being transformed right now in the same way that happened that first Pentecost? Is it because God doesn’t want to do it anymore? Is it because God is tired or has gone on vacation, or is asleep? I don’t think so. It’s really because of us. The amazing thing, the almost unbelievable thing about God the Holy Trinity is the degree, the almost fanatical degree to which God respects the freedom He has given to each and every one of us. We could say God has accepted to handicap Himself according to the sum total of our handicaps, and God in a way is patient and willing to wait to produce all these wonders and fruits as soon as we give our consent; as soon as we do as Mary did and say: “Okay, I don’t understand, I don’t know how it’s going to work out, but here I am. I am willing to make a fool of myself for your glory and the good of others.

There’s also something else that prevents God, apart from our free will and our willingness to make fools of ourselves for God and for our neighbour; there’s also all the problems relating to what we call our fallen human nature: our inclination to step into the shadows, to give in to our fears, to give in to our impulses to eat more, drink more, do whatever more and more and more… you know what I’m talking about… we’re all human beings here. We all experience these struggles, and what makes the difference between an ordinary human being and a Christian, a disciple? The ordinary human being is overly impressed by these dynamics and interior struggles and becomes paralyzed, incapable of taking action. The Christian stops relying on herself or himself and opens their mind, heart, and soul to God and asks the Holy Spirit to help, to strengthen; so, the key is no longer to depend on myself but to allow the Holy Spirit to train me to rely on God in every situation.

I remember when I was a young man and it was the beginning of the charismatic renewal. They told the story of a young person who wanted so much to do only what God wanted that they sat on their bed for half an hour in the morning unable to make up their mind what color socks to wear, waiting for inspiration from above, you know? Well, that’s sort of a childish ridiculous example. God wants us to make decisions, He wants us to use our brains, He wants us to get up and go, but to learn how to discern, you know, the inspiration that’s coming from God, and to tell the difference between that and the bad inspirations that come from the bad spirit, the enemy of humanity.

There are telltale signs: the enemy of humanity wants our destruction; the Holy Spirit wants us to enter into abundance of life as Jesus said: “That you may have my joy and that your joy may be complete.” If anyone is interested in knowing more about how to discern the interior contradictions that we have all day long and from day to day, send me an email: fathergilles@gmail.com and I will send you some links to Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s fabulous teaching on the discernment of spirits. It is acknowledged to be the best, the clearest, and the most practical teaching on these things in all of human history, literature or anything that has been written in any culture of language.

 

Glory be to the Father, and to + the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

 Listen to Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OVM's simple and practical explanation of Saint Ignatius of Loyola's world changing teaching on "the discernment of spirits".

https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/fr-timothy-gallagher-discernment-of-spirits/

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com   © 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Poustinik

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Full text: Pope Francis’ homily on Pentecost Sunday
Vatican City, May 23, 2021 / 05:00 am - PDF 

 https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2021/documents/papa-francesco_20210523_omelia-pentecoste.html 

“When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father…” (Jn 15:26). With these words, Jesus promises to send his disciples the Holy Spirit, the ultimate gift, the gift of gifts. He uses an unusual and mysterious word to describe the Spirit: Paraclete. Today let us reflect on this word, which is not easy to translate, for it has a number of meanings. Essentially, it means two things: Comforter and Advocate.

The Paraclete is the Comforter. All of us, particularly at times of difficulty like those we are presently experiencing due to the pandemic, look for consolation. Often, though, we turn only to earthly comforts, ephemeral comforts that quickly fade. Today, Jesus offers us heavenly comfort, the Holy Spirit, who is “of comforters the best” (Sequence). What is the difference? The comforts of the world are like a pain reliever: they can give momentary relief, but not cure the illness we carry deep within. They can soothe us, but not heal us at the core. They work on the surface, on the level of the senses, but hardly touch our hearts.

Only someone who makes us feel loved for who we are can give peace to our hearts. The Holy Spirit, the love of God, does precisely that. He comes down within us; as the Spirit, he acts in our spirit. He comes down “within the heart”, as “the soul’s most welcome guest” (ibid). He is the very love of God, who does not abandon us; for being present to those who are alone is itself a source of comfort.

Dear sister, dear brother, if you feel the darkness of solitude, if you feel that an obstacle within you blocks the way to hope, if your heart has a festering wound, if you can see no way out, then open your heart to the Holy Spirit. Saint Bonaventure tells us that, “where the trials are greater, he brings greater comfort, not like the world, which comforts and flatters us when things go well, but derides and condemns us when they do not” (Homily in the Octave of the Ascension). That is what the world does, that is especially what the hostile spirit, the devil, does.

First, he flatters us and makes us feel invincible (for the blandishments of the devil feed our vanity); then he flings us down and makes us feel that we are failures. He toys with us. He does everything to cast us down, whereas the Spirit of the risen Lord wants to raise us up. Look at the apostles: they were alone that morning, alone and bewildered, cowering behind closed doors, living in fear and overwhelmed by their weaknesses, failings and their sins, for they had denied Christ. The years they had spent with Jesus had not changed them: they were no different than they had been.

Then, they received the Spirit and everything changed: the problems and failings remained, yet they were no longer afraid of them, nor of any who would be hostile to them. They sensed comfort within and they wanted to overflow with the comfort of God. Before, they were fearful; now their only fear was that of not testifying to the love they had received. Jesus had foretold this: “[The Spirit] will testify on my behalf; you also are to testify” (Jn 15:26-27).

Let us go another step. We too are called to testify in the Holy Spirit, to become paracletes, comforters. The Spirit is asking us to embody the comfort he brings. How can we do this? Not by making great speeches, but by drawing near to others. Not with trite words, but with prayer and closeness. Let us remember that closeness, compassion and tenderness are God’s “trademark”, always.

The Paraclete is telling the Church that today is the time for comforting. It is more the time for joyfully proclaiming the Gospel than for combatting paganism. It is the time for bringing the joy of the Risen Lord, not for lamenting the drama of secularization. It is the time for pouring out love upon the world, yet not embracing worldliness. It is more the time for testifying to mercy, than for inculcating rules and regulations. It is the time of the Paraclete! It is the time of freedom of heart, in the Paraclete.

The Paraclete is also the Advocate. In Jesus’ day, advocates did not do what they do today: rather than speaking in the place of defendants, they simply stood next to them and suggested arguments they could use in their own defence. That is what the Paraclete does, for he is “the spirit of truth” (v. 26). He does not take our place, but defends us from the deceits of evil by inspiring thoughts and feelings. He does so discreetly, without forcing us: he proposes but does not impose. The spirit of deceit, the evil one, does the opposite: he tries to force us; he wants to make us think that we must always yield to the allure and the promptings of vice. Let us try to accept three suggestions that are typical of the Paraclete, our Advocate. They are three fundamental antidotes to three temptations that today are so widespread.

The first advice offered by the Holy Spirit is, “Live in the present”. The present, not the past or the future. The Paraclete affirms the primacy of today, against the temptation to let ourselves be paralyzed by rancour or memories of the past, or by uncertainty or fear about the future. The Spirit reminds us of the grace of the present moment. There is no better time for us: now, here and now, is the one and only time to do good, to make our life a gift. Let us live in the present!

The Spirit also tells us, “Look to the whole”. The whole, not the part. The Spirit does not mould isolated individuals, but shapes us into a Church in the wide variety of our charisms, into a unity that is never uniformity. The Paraclete affirms the primacy of the whole. There, in the whole, in the community, the Spirit prefers to work and to bring newness. Let us look at the apostles. They were all quite different. They included, for example, Matthew, a tax collector who collaborated with the Romans, and Simon called the zealot, who fought them. They had contrary political ideas, different visions of the world. Yet once they received the Spirit, they learned to give primacy not to their human viewpoints but to the “whole” that is God’s plan.

Today, if we listen to the Spirit, we will not be concerned with conservatives and progressives, tradition-alists and innovators, right and left. When those become our criteria, then the Church has forgotten the Spirit. The Paraclete impels us to unity, to concord, to the harmony of diversity. He makes us see ourselves as parts of the same body, brothers and sisters of one another. Let us look to the whole! The enemy wants diversity to become opposition and so he makes them become ideologies. Say no to ideologies, yes to the whole.

The third advice of the Spirit is, “Put God before yourself”. This is the decisive step in the spiritual life, which is not the sum of our own merits and achievements, but a humble openness to God. The Spirit affirms the primacy of grace. Only by emptying ourselves, do we leave room for the Lord; only by giving ourselves to him, do we find ourselves; only by becoming poor in spirit, do we become rich in the Holy Spirit. This is also true of the Church. We save no one, not even ourselves, by our own efforts.

If we give priority to our own projects, our structures, our plans for reform, we will be concerned only about effectiveness, efficiency, we will think only in horizontal terms and, as a result, we will bear no fruit. An “-ism” is an ideology that divides and separates. The Church is human, but it is not merely a human organization, it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Jesus brought the fire of the Spirit to the earth and the Church is reformed by the anointing of grace, the gratuity of the anointing of grace, the power of prayer, the joy of mission and the disarming beauty of poverty. Let us put God in first place!

Holy Spirit, Paraclete Spirit, comfort our hearts. Make us missionaries of your comfort, paracletes of your mercy before the world. Our Advocate, sweet counsellor of the soul, make us witnesses of the “today” of God, prophets of unity for the Church and humanity, and apostles grounded in your grace, which creates and renews all things. Amen."

Franciscus - Bishop of Rome 

                                            © Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Discernment of Spirits - Jesus ascended to the Father but did not leave us orphans, giving us his Church to help us learn the "ways of the Lord" - Ascension Sunday, May 16th, 2021

The Ascension of the Lord Jesus into Heaven 

On ascending into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, our Risen Lord Jesus did not leave us orphans, but left us in the care of a mother, his Church, at the hands of his apostles. Jesus remains to this day and until the end faithful to the promise He made to them as recorded by Matthew in 28:16-20.

"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 


The 14 Rules for Discerning of Spirits - "The Different Movements Which Are Caused In The Soul"

RULES FOR PERCEIVING AND KNOWING IN SOME MANNER THE DIFFERENT MOVEMENTS WHICH ARE CAUSED IN THE SOUL; THE GOOD, TO RECEIVE THEM, AND THE BAD TO REJECT THEM. AND THEY ARE MORE PROPER FOR THE FIRST WEEK IN THE FOUR WEEKS OF THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES OF SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA.

Listen to Audio Podcast Teachings By Fr. Timothy Gallagher OMV 

    (1). The first Rule: In the persons who go from mortal sin to mortal sin, the enemy is commonly used to propose to them apparent pleasures, making them imagine sensual delights and pleasures in order to hold them more and make them grow in their vices and sins. In these persons the good spirit uses the opposite method, pricking them and biting their consciences through the process of reason.

    (2). The second: In the persons who are going on intensely cleansing their sins and rising from good to better in the service of God our Lord, it is the method contrary to that in the first Rule, for then it is the way of the evil spirit to bite, sadden and put obstacles, disquieting with false reasons, that one may not go on; and it is proper to the good to give courage and strength, consolations, tears, inspirations and quiet, easing, and putting away all obstacles, that one may go on in well doing.

    (3). The third: OF SPIRITUAL CONSOLATION. I call it consolation when some interior movement in the soul is caused, through which the soul comes to be inflamed with love of its Creator and Lord; and when it can in consequence love no created thing on the face of the earth in itself, but in the Creator of them all.

Likewise, when it sheds tears that move to love of its Lord, whether out of sorrow for one’s sins, or for the Passion of Christ our Lord, or because of other things directly connected with His service and praise. Finally, I call consolation every increase of hope, faith and charity, and all interior joy which calls and attracts to heavenly things and to the salvation of one’s soul, quieting it and giving it peace in its Creator and Lord.

     (4). The fourth: OF SPIRITUAL DESOLATION. I call desolation all the contrary of the third1 rule, such as darkness2 of soul, disturbance in it, movement to things low and earthly, the unquiet of different agitations and temptations, moving to want of confidence, without hope, without love, when one finds oneself all lazy, tepid, sad, and as if separated from his Creator and Lord. Because, as consolation is contrary to desolation, in the same way the thoughts which come from consolation are contrary to the thoughts which come from desolation.

    (5). The fifth: In time of desolation never to make a change; but to be firm and constant in the resolutions and determination in which one was the day preceding such desolation, or in the determination in which he was in the preceding consolation. Because, as in consolation it is rather the good spirit who guides and counsels us, so in desolation it is the bad, with whose counsels we cannot take a course to decide rightly.

    (6). The sixth: The Golden Rule of the Interior Life - the Counter-Attack - Although in desolation we ought not to change our first resolutions, it is very helpful intensely to change ourselves against the same desolation, as by insisting more on prayer, meditation, on much examination, and by giving ourselves more scope in some suitable way of doing penance.

    (7). The seventh: Let him who is in desolation consider how the Lord has left him in trial in his natural powers, in order to resist the different agitations and temptations of the enemy; since he can with the Divine help, which always remains to him, though he does not clearly perceive it: because the Lord has taken from him his great fervor, great love and intense grace, leaving him, however, grace enough for eternal salvation.

    (8). The eighth: Let him who is in desolation labor to be in patience, which is contrary to the vexations which come to him: and let him think that he will soon be consoled, employing against the desolation the devices, as is said in the sixth Rule.1

    (9). The ninth: Why does the Good God permit temptation? There are three principal reasons why we find ourselves desolate.

The first is, because of our being tepid, lazy or negligent in our spiritual exercises; and so through our faults, spiritual consolation withdraws from us. The second, to try us and see how much we are and how much we let ourselves out in His service and praise without such great pay of consolation and great graces. The third, to give us true acquaintance and knowledge, that we may interiorly feel that it is not ours to get or keep great devotion, intense love, tears, or any other spiritual consolation, but that all is the gift and grace of God our Lord, and that we may not build a nest in a thing not ours, raising our intellect into some pride or vainglory, attributing to us devotion or the other things of the spiritual consolation.

    (10). The tenth: Let him who is in consolation think how he will be in the desolation which will come after, taking new strength for then.

    (11). The eleventh: Let him who is consoled see to humbling himself and lowering himself as much as he can, thinking how little he is able for in the time of desolation without such grace or consolation. On the contrary, let him who is in desolation think that he can do much with the grace sufficient to resist all his enemies, taking strength in his Creator and Lord.

    (12). The twelfth: The enemy acts like a woman, in being weak against vigor and strong of will. Because, as it is the way of the woman when she is quarrelling with some man to lose heart, taking flight when the man shows 1Sixth Rule is in the handwriting of St. Ignatius, replacing fourth Rule.her much courage: and on the contrary, if the man, losing heart, begins to fly, the wrath, revenge, and ferocity of the woman is very great, and so without bounds; in the same manner, it is the way of the enemy to weaken and lose heart, his temptations taking flight, when the person who is exercising himself in spiritual things opposes a bold front against the temptations of the enemy, doing diametrically the opposite. And on the contrary, if the person who is exercising himself commences to have fear and lose heart in suffering the temptations, there is no beast so wild on the face of the earth as the enemy of human nature in following out his damnable intention with so great malice.

     (13). The thirteenth: Likewise, he acts as a licentious lover in wanting to be secret and not revealed. For, as the licentious man who, speaking for an evil purpose, solicits a daughter of a good father or a wife of a good husband, wants his words and persuasions to be secret, and the contrary displeases him much, when the daughter reveals to her father or the wife to her husband his licentious words and depraved intention, because he easily gathers that he will not be able to succeed with the undertaking begun: in the same way, when the enemy of human nature brings his wiles and persuasions to the just soul, he wants and desires that they be received and kept in secret; but when one reveals them to his good Confessor or to another spiritual person that knows his deceits and evil ends, it is very grievous to him, because he gathers, from his manifest deceits being discovered, that he will not be able to succeed with his wickedness begun.

    (14). The fourteenth: Likewise, he behaves as a chief bent on conquering and robbing what he desires: for, as a captain and chief of the army, pitching his camp, and looking at the forces or defences of a stronghold, attacks it on the weakest side, in like manner the enemy of human nature, roaming about, looks in turn at all our virtues, theological, cardinal and moral; and where he finds us weakest and most in need for our eternal salvation, there he attacks us and aims at taking us.

The above was cited from: 

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola TRANSLATED FROM THE AUTOGRAPH BY FATHER ELDER MULLAN, S.J. I.H.S. Scanned by Harry Plantinga, 1994 This etext is in the public domain.

Saint Joseph, pray for us. 

© 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

Obedient to the Holy Spirit, we can rejoice in persecution and be joyful witnesses for God and for life - Saturday, 5th week of Easter - May 8th, 2021 - Mary Queen of the World Basilica Cathedral for QLC

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Pilgrimage with our Blessed Mother for Life 


Abortion, Human Rights, Animal Rights, and Human Dignity


        I watched the April 12th Vision TV Current Affairs show “Test of Faith” attempt to open up the debate on abortion.  I was somewhat surprised at first that none of the guests were very willing to take the animator up on the question.  Is it that the pro-choice lobby has become so successful that there is now a generalized public impression that to even raise the question about the morality of abortion is automatically branded as a stance against women? 
        In that regard, I believe the same to be true about the debate around same-sex marriage.  The gay lobby has also been quite successful in reshaping public opinion, so that any attempt at legitimate debate on the nature and value of marriage in human society as an institution always understood to be for a man and a woman is immediately branded as an attack against gay rights.  In other words, I believe that what we are witnessing in our time and culture is the advent of inverse tolerance: we pride ourselves at being tolerant and go so far as to defend our tolerance by attacking and condemning anyone who disagrees with us, and we do it in not so subtle fashion by branding them as intolerant by simple virtue of the fact that they wish to disagree with the formerly and perhaps still minority view that is entrenching itself in the public forum as the self-appointed correct view.
        To get back to the animator’s attempt to stir up some debate on abortion, there really wasn't much debate on abortion itself.  What I remember hearing was mostly an affirmation of women's rights to make their own moral choices.  That's a fairly safe position to adopt.  Even those that are considered "conservative" Roman Catholic Christians hold to the primacy of the individual conscience.  When people like Pope John Paul II make public declarations about abortion and other moral issues, they are simply trying to carry out their mandated responsibility to express the positions that emerge from what is called the natural law - the common denominator of truth that the average human being can perceive within them - whether or not they follow it.  For example, the majority of German citizens from 1932 on knew in their conscience that what was happening to their Jewish neighbors was wrong, but for various reasons, they chose to ignore their conscience.  The debate on abortion would have been more complete and there would have been more of a chance to reach for the whole truth if more had been said about the nature of abortion and how that relates to our nature as human beings.
        The animator attempted to bring into the debate recent scientific research, but I sensed she was too polite - actually a scientist would have been in a better position to make those points.  There is an inner logic that what is conceived by a man and woman in her is human from the very first instant of fertilization.  No scientific research has been able to establish that there is any intervention whatever that takes place after fertilization that could demonstrate or prove a change in the nature of the living organism that just goes on multiplying and growing.  All the visible changes that occur are all contained in the genetic coding of the very first fertilized cell, much as the roots, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, seeds, and fruit are all contained in the seed of a fruit tree.  An apple seed never produces anything other than an apple tree, and apples of the very same kind as the fruit from which the seed came. 
        If then, what is conceived is indeed fully human, but just so little that it cannot yet be conscious as we understand consciousness or speak for itself, then this raises two questions.  First, at what point of development does that consciousness become human?  Second, if what we are aborting is little human persons, what are the problems that emerge from this action?
        The Nazis were not the first and they won't be the last to set limits on what can be granted the status of human being.  The long-standing Christian view - though there are some who claim to be Christian but deny the basic tenets of their faith - is that the essence of human dignity is that we have this dignity by the very fact of our nature.  As Genesis puts it, we have been created in the image and likeness of God.  No one can have the temerity to claim for themselves the right to grant or deny that dignity.  It is there from the first moment of independent and spontaneous self-sustaining growth, regardless of the flaws that may occur in that growth - in other words - from the first moment of fertilization.
        This implies then that whenever we abort a human life - from as early as the contraceptive pill that disallows the fertilized cell cluster from adhering to the uterine wall to as late as final term abortions or even infant killings as was practiced by the Greeks of antiquity - we are murdering a human life.  Of course, this is the very discourse that all who advocate pro-choice and the rights of women to do what they want or need to do with whatever is contained within the confines of their body at times stridently refuse to hear or allow to be spoken. 
        I really do sympathize with women - especially young women - who find themselves with an unwanted pregnancy, and deeply pity the men - especially the young men - who avoid their opportunity to become men and shirk their responsibilities to the woman they have ravished and the life she has conceived.  What we have is a mess, which in many ways is of our own making.  I remember not so long ago as a child watching movies where the young adult children rebelled against their parents' restrictive moral directions and engaged in uncommitted sexual intercourse, sometimes getting away with it, and sometimes not.  What became evil was no longer the irresponsible sex, but the parental attempts to impose limits on their children's behavior.  Granted, the parenting may have often been faulty.  You can forbid and punish a young child, but an adolescent and young adult needs to be trained and prepared to make personal and responsible decisions.  If they are never allowed to decide and make mistakes, then they will deliberately go against their parents' directions simply to affirm their independence and strive to search for their innate human dignity, which they sense within them.
        On the other hand, our culture has become so allergic to authority as to become blind to anything but our own desires, views, opinions, feelings, and inclinations.  As a society, we have come to take a very adolescent stance in the face of life: we want to do what we want to do, but are in total denial of the facts of life - the laws of nature and the natural law of conscience - we want reality to be the way we want it, and when it isn't we resort to bending it out of shape so it can fit our distorted desires.  It is a massive attempt to exert mind over matter.  Because the life in the womb is
defenseless, there is no longer anyone to oppose our distorted self-will.  There used to be laws that were an attempt to enshrine in human law the dictates of the natural law and human conscience, but since so many are now in denial of both, it no longer made sense to keep the law on the books.  In a way, human justice is a reflection of the common conscience of the people.  As it was in Nazi Germany, so it can be again anywhere, anytime.
        As a practitioner in the development of human consciences - through my ministry of guidance and in the Sacrament of Reconciliation where the faithful of all ages come to confess the sins of which they have become aware - it has been my experience that there truly is a natural law that is discernible by the individual human heart and conscience.  It is there even in the absence of parental restraints.  It is there even in the almost complete absence of restrains in our open, western culture.  Anytime people go against their conscience, they begin to live a life of inner torment, without inner peace.  Whenever they go along with their conscience, such as it is and often in error or not fully informed, but against the natural law, it's only a question of time before the consequences of their choices cause sufficient upheaval within them to bring to awareness at least the basic notion that all is not well within them.
        At times like that, without telling them what I think is wrong with them, a little guided tour through the landscape of their living situation and conditions, of their choices and preferences, of their opinions and views, and of how all of that compares with what is to be found in the Christian and Jewish Scriptures, usually begins to bring sufficient light within their conscience that the penny begins to drop and they can draw their own conclusions about where they have gone wrong.  No one needs to tell them.
        The problem, I think, with the sterility of the current debate is that there is a whole view - the one anyone disagrees with - that is being demonized (on both sides) with the result that there really isn't a true debate.  Only partial truths are being admitted to the debate.  Only partial conclusions can be reached.  When all is said and done, there may be the temporary comfort of having our own way, but this is not what acknowledges our human dignity in all of its stature, nor is it what respects the individual person in all their potential for living a fully human existence.  We are settling for something less that fully human, and we are condemning whole generations by attempting to lock them into partial truths.  At some point, it can only blow up in our faces, and when the younger generations some day awaken to all of the truth involved here, we can expect them to have considerable contempt for how we will have disrespected their freedom of conscience.
        I found it most interesting that the topic lined up for the following week - this past Monday - was the debate on animal rights.  Isn't it ironic that on the same planet at the same time we can find views that will on the one hand deny the humanity, dignity, and rights of the unborn human lives unwanted for whatever reasons, and on the other hand come to the
defense of the rights of animals to be treated humanely?  I must admit that the contrast leaves me almost speechless.  Silence in the face of such a contradiction is in some ways the better response.  As they say in poker, "Read 'em and weep!" 
        Still, I would like to make one point here.  Through all of human history, it has been generally considered part of a woman and all women's dignity that they have the capacity and determination to generously conceive, nurture, deliver, and rear human beings, with the support of their man.  No matter the circumstances, it saddens me to observe the harm that a woman does to her own nature when the confines of her body - designed to be a place of nurture, safety, and tender care - becomes a place of deliberately dealt out death.  We all know how tragic and painful miscarriages are, and how devastated many women feel afterwards - even though it was not at all their fault - we can only begin to imagine the dire consequences for the female psyche when the life they carry is deliberately terminated. 

Even in the case of rape, though that act was so terribly wrong and such a violation, an additional wrong and violence can't make it right, but only further violates the dignity of her womb, her body, her sense of herself, her conscience.  I can only weep.  And I am outraged at attempts - without anger at those who do so with the best of intentions - to declare abortion OK, or without serious consequences, or less wrong, or whatever.  Killing is killing.  It just isn't self-defense as in war, when the one to be killed is an aggressor who fully and deliberately intends to take lives.
        In addition, it has also been generally considered part of a man and all men’s dignity that they have the capacity and determination to care for their woman or wife and for the human life she conceives, nurtures, delivers, and rears, and to defend them from all external dangers.  It saddens me to observe the disintegration of the male psyche into something base and less than human that seeks only its own comfort and ease.  I am equally outraged at attempts by men but also by parents to leave the burden of unwanted pregnancies on the shoulders and consciences of the women – it is unfair that the man be allowed to escape what the unfortunate woman cannot – since she cannot escape her own body or feminine nature.  Our notion of the male nature is so damaged that there is little or no sense of failure when the man just abandons the woman and goes back to his own narcissistic agenda and his parents are content to let the woman’s family bear the whole burden.

In conclusion, I must thank the animator for at least attempting to spark the debates.  If I may make a suggestion, it would be that animators research and find other speakers who can better represent the other facets of any given issue, so that there may be more likelihood of at least touching on the full spectrum of facets to the usually multifaceted truths of our human existence.

Fr. Gilles A. Surprenant, pastor – St. Thomas à Becket Parish – Montreal QC – April 2004

© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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God wants me to personally know Jesus as my Good Shepherd - 4th Sunday of Easter - MQP Church in JLW Parish - April 25th, 2021

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Christ is risen, alleluia! Good Day dear sisters and brothers in Christ. We rejoice today because it is the Lord’s Day, the Day of the Resurrection of Jesus. It is that special day every week God gives us so that we might rest and enjoy our family. We are also glad because we see signs in nature that Spring is here. We don’t mind the rain too much because it washes away the dirt of winter and it refreshes all green growing plants and the wild animals and birds. We rejoice in God, our Creator and our Refuge, even though the pandemic still causes us to suffer inconvenience, hardship, and in some cases illness and even death. We are glad not because of the suffering, but we rejoice because Jesus is Lord of Creation and He and the Father permit this pandemic for good reasons which we do not yet understand.

We have the testimony of Peter and Paul and the other Apostles, and we also have all the testimonies of the saints that God loves us and that Jesus is our Good Shepherd. Our parents, our bishops, our religious, and our priests have also told us these things. All these witnesses make it reasonable for us to believe that God is good and that He loves us. Still, there comes a time when testimonies from others are no longer enough. That is because God our Creator has put deep in our soul an intense desire for us to know God personally. We want to know from our own experience that God is God, that He loves us, and that our lives are safely in his hands.

Sometimes God makes Himself known to us in dramatic ways, with power and glory, but most of the time, God makes Himself known to us quietly, discretely, gently, deep in our soul. In fact, we can be blessed by God’s presence and action but take it simply as something natural, and then we let it slip away into forgetfulness. If we never stop to ponder our experiences in life and never sit quietly in God’s presence, we never learn to notice the Holy Spirit whispering in our soul. That is why it is so important to take small steps, to come visit the Lord in the church when it is quiet during the week, to come early before Sunday Mass, and to sit quietly at home.

We can sit quietly in God’s presence in church or at home in a prayer corner, in front of a holy image, statue or icon and pay attention to the Lord. In the silence, we can open the Bible and let God speak to us using the words of the Book of Psalms, or Proverbs, or the Gospels and the letters of the Apostles. At times, as we sit silently in God’s presence, the Holy Spirit may open our memory and remind us of the many moments throughout our life when we felt God’s presence, his love, or his healing grace at work within us or in our family.

The Bible is God’s sacred history of salvation which He has in every generation offered to his people from the beginning of time. God also has a sacred history of salvation with each and every one of us. We may not be aware of God’s sacred history with us if until now we have never stopped to ponder our life from our conception until today. As we decide to take the time to sit quietly in God’s presence, in church or at home, and visit with God, pondering his visits to us in our lifetime – as Mary pondered these things in her heart – then the Holy Spirit can wake us up to the sacred history God has been building up with us until today.

It is primarily in silent contemplation and prayer that the Holy Spirit can teach us to remember and to recognize the saving presence and action of God in our lives. Then we can acquire our very own conviction that God is alive, that He is good, and that He loves us, that He loves me. From that moment on, once I personally recognize that God has been with me all my life, and that I have a life-giving connection with God through Jesus; from that moment on, I can know Jesus as my Good Shepherd and be convinced that He is with me at all times.

In this way I become truly connected with God the Most Holy Trinity. There is no trouble on Earth – no pandemic, illness, pain or suffering, no loss of job or income, fire or destruction, no prospect of dying that can frighten me. God is greater than all these threats, and I can know inside myself that in his own time God will save me from all such dangers and troubles.

Our Baptism and Confirmation in the Most Holy Trinity are God’s power at work in us through life as God fills us with divine life and love, making us truly daughters and sons of God with Jesus as our older brother. It is this realization that we belong to God and that He is our treasure that motivates women and men to marry and have children, raising them up to know and love God. This is also how men hear Jesus calling them to follow Him and to serve his people as deacon or priest. This is how women and men hear Jesus calling them to join a religious community and dedicate their lives to serving Jesus in his people the Church.

Two weeks ago, I turned 72. I have been privileged and blessed to serve Jesus as one of his priests for almost 38 years now. I look forward to serving Him for the rest of my life, and I will be glad to do so until I am in my 90’s. However, I no longer serve like Fr. Francis in the Parish all week long. I stopped being in parishes full time 7 years ago in 2013. Who will take my place? Jesus is still calling men to follow Him, but are they being quiet enough to hear his voice? Perhaps they are afraid to hear Jesus calling them or to answer his call.

From a human point of view, it could be terrifying to think about becoming a priest. But that is because being a priest is not a job. It is not only a human activity. Before he ordained me a priest, Archbishop Grégoire said I would be “welded to Christ. Jesus would join his mind, heart, and soul to my mind, heart, and soul.” He spoke the truth. It is a wonderful adventure to become a priest and to live my life joined to Jesus, loving and serving Him in his Church.

Please pray for the men Jesus is calling that they may not be afraid to listen to his voice and to answer Him. We even have a priest who was married, has a daughter, was divorced, and his marriage was annulled. Jesus then called him to be a priest. Christ is risen, alleluia!

Let us put all our trust in God the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us take a few moments in reflect on Jesus’ tender loving care for us.

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com   © 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Poustinik

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