Holy Mass of Anticipation of the Resurrection
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
There is no doubt that our God clearly wants an intimate relation with all of us, with each and every human being. The mystery of it is that our God likes to play "hide and seek" and the Holy Trinity have elected to do the hiding and it's up to us to do the seeking; which explains why there is such a variety of religions in the world. The Father always wanted to bring us closer to Himself, and so, it was from all eternity He planned to send his Son among us to become one of us, and we know Him as Jesus.
Now, Jesus spent most of his life living a simple life with his Mother Mary and Father Joseph, learning the trade of a carpenter and being a good neighbour; learning to be an expert with wood, but also with people. Then, He spent three years trying to bring humanity closer. Have you ever wondered why Jesus used so many different parables to speak about this new life, this new relationship with God? The Apostles were actually exasperated with Him at times and wanted Him to make things simpler, plainer. The truth of it is that this new life, this Kingdom of God, is something interior, which also becomes visible.
For example... Clayton, do you still love Maureen? "Definitely, at all times." Show me your love... where is it? Bring it out... show it to us. Of course not, it's something interior, mysterious, hidden, but it is so real, yes? And it does manifest itself. As Adrian witnessed, you put a cot next to Maureen's hospital bed to be with her... so we understand these things. The important precious things are invisible, but they do manifest themselves in the visible world.
I'm very grateful to the grandchildren because of the beautiful birthday card you gave to your Nana. I saw it yesterday and I read the notes, and I was very struck by something. At least three of you wrote: "I don't know what I would do without you, Nana." Something like that. Right? I think that you already knew that she wasn't well and you could already foresee the day when she would no longer we walking among us. So, that's a very precious thought. What would I do without you? Indeed, what would I do without you? We say to the person we love who has gone from this world.
So, where is she? ("She's with God.") What we have here is her earthly home in which we knew her, touched her, loved her, and who cooked for us, and so on, with this body, this earthly home, this dwelling, this house, which is now empty. As I mentioned yesterday, this house no longer has curtains in the windows; the windows are bare, the lights are out, it's empty, it's sad; so, where has the occupant gone?
If it helps you to visualize this, you might want to close your eyes for a moment, and just become aware of the interior landscape inside yourself. I believe that a lot of people - and this is one of the reasons there's so much trouble in the world - a lot of people have never realized there is a world inside them. I thank God for our grade two teacher (Miss Frenette). We must have been rambunctious... she told us to put our heads on our desk and close our eyes, and she led us in a reflection, and in this reflection I became aware that there is a world inside. It is in this world inside that God visits with us. Call it the "soul"... it is also linked to our mind, which is a factory producing thoughts, and it is also linked to our heart, the crossroads of our emotions... but the deepest part of this interior world is our soul.
It is immortal; it will never die. It is a spark of God's own divinity. He who is a divine being who never had a beginning and will never have an end, created our human souls like himself, like the angels in a way, immortal, who will never die. Nothing in the universe, no power, can ever destroy a human soul.
Now, this soul is what contains all of our experiences, all of our memories, all of our decisions, all of our efforts to love and to be loved, our willingness to forgive, our acceptance and endurance of suffering; all the great accomplishments of human beings are contained and reserved in the soul. Consider it the "hard drive" of a human being, and this soul leaves the body when we draw our last breath. People who have died for a few minutes and come back relate stories of having glimpsed this other world, this other dimension, this Kingdom of God, the Presence of the Almighty. And it's often an experience of light, of wonder, of peace, of love.
The atmosphere in this world is oxygen, nitrogen, and humidity, and sometimes pollution. The atmosphere in Heaven is Love. I'm sure your Nana would want you to know and to remember this: that you have choices every day, and often during the day, and the choices are about accepting love and accepting to give love, and we give love in many ways. We cook and serve food. We also accept to put up with one another. There is perhaps no greater love than this, to put up with another person, to accept them as they are; not to try and change them, but to accept them as they are. And if we think there's something wrong with them; it's God's problem. God is the one who works on human souls, to transform us, to help us grow. Our best decision and action is to serve one another, put ourselves at the service of others, offer a kind and listening ear, offer a smile, a helping hand. I think there's even room for kidding; right Clayton? (Clayton:) "100%." One hundred percent he says.
What will happen in your home? We don't know. Whatever it was that mysteriously began on October 7th, 1994... this mysterious fragrant oily liquid coming out of statues, religious pictures, and tapestries... perhaps it's ending today. Whatever God wants, He will get. What was the purpose of it all? You called upon me shortly after it began and asked me for advice because people were coming and knocking on the door at all hours every day of the week... you were a family, you were concerned about your children, you were concerned about privacy... and the Lord made it obvious to me what to say to you. It's your home. God could have made this happen in the church, in a public place. He chose a home. God respects our freedom. You're the man of the house, you're the husband, you're the father.
You can make decisions. You can set the terms. You can limit the times. That is perhaps what I'd like to end with. We have no idea how much Almighty God respects the freedom He has given to us. The Father, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit offer to us intimate friendship beginning now and which will go on forever, but it's up to us. We can and we do say: "No!" We can and we do turn our backs. We do this to one another, and we do it to God. And He puts up with us, and He knows there will be another day; until the last day comes and there will be no more days. So, there is a kind of urgency in the Good News. Jesus kept harping at that. "The Kingdom of God is near. Wake up! Smell the coffee! Get with the program! Stop wasting time!
Call the person you've been neglecting. Drop in on the person you're avoiding. Forgive the enemy. Stop holding onto those burdens. It's time to give it up. It's time to let it go. It's time to put our trust in the One from whom we come and the One to whom we are returning. Amen? (All:) "Amen!"
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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
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AT THE END OF HOLY MASS: Fr. Gilles - Invitation to write and send testimonies and "character references" about Maureen Rodrigues Marolly to Clayton or Father Gilles for the purpose of sending them to the Archbishop with a request to open an canonical inquiry into Maureen's life with a view to asking the Church to declare her a servant of God, blessed, and among the saints.
Final prayers and Commendation - MP3 File
Prayers at the Graveside - MP3 File
Poem by Bede Jarrett - "We Give Them Back to You O Lord"
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© 2006-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC © 2006-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
