Father Gilles' English Homilies

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

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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4th Sunday of Easter

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

Homily MP3 version - PDF version

What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Mary Mother of God, St. Joseph, walk with us in the steps of Jesus. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

In silence now, the Holy Spirit helps us to lay down our offering together with that of Jesus….

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

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

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

+ + + + + + + + + + + +

Lord, You will show me the path of life. Alleluia! - April 23rd, 2023 - 3rd Sunday of Easter - MQP Church in JLW Parish - Also prepared for the Late Sunday Mass

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.

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

3rd Sunday of Easter

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

Homily MP3 version - PDF version

What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version

Luke 24:35 "They recognized Him...

Original Art work by Pat Onofrio - July 2nd, 1983
(Pat died August 13th, 2009.)

“Lord, you will show me the path of life. Alleluia!”

Since the days when Jesus walked our Earth, He has raised up witnesses to establish the reality of his resurrection and ascension into Heaven at the right hand of the Father. We heard the Apostle Saint Peter speak and testify with assurance and boldness to the resurrection of Jesus. He went so far as to say to the crowd about Jesus: “you crucified and killed him by the hands of those outside the law.” Peter was unafraid of the crowd’s anger because he did not come to accuse them, but to proclaim the good news that this same Jesus rose from the dead.

However, we know full well that Peter himself, along with all the apostles and disciples of Jesus, did not believe the good news when they first heard it. They all needed to see and hear with their own eyes and ears that Jesus, in spite of his atrocious death on the cross, was now forever alive following his resurrection from the dead. What Jesus said to Cleopas and his companion, He could very well say to all of them and also to us: “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have declared!”

“Lord, you will show me the path of life. Alleluia!”

Last Sunday, it was the Apostle Thomas’ turn to hear this reproach from Jesus. After this, Jesus said to him: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” What a gift the Lord leaves us by referring in this way to all of us who have succeeded his apostles and disciples since the beginning of his Church. We who are alive today, we are all among “those who believe without having seen.”

Nonetheless, without necessarily seeing with our own eyes Jesus risen from the dead, we still need to taste for ourselves the great joy of Easter. We need to know for certain that the tomb in which the body of Jesus had been laid down for burial is now empty. We desire to feel upon ourselves the warm loving look of Jesus risen from the dead. It is necessary for us to know that Jesus remains at every momentby our side until the end of our journey on this Earth. God the Father Himself wants to come and dwell within us with his risen Son Jesus in the power of his divine love which is the Holy Spirit.

“Lord, you will show me the path of life. Alleluia!”

Well, that’s all very nice, but how exactly do we acquire the conviction that Jesus is risen and alive? We don’t dare to ask Him for signs and miracles the way King Herod tried to do or like the crowd who later taunted and mocked Jesus during his agony on the cross. After all, we are nothing more than creatures, and the Father, in communion with Jesus his Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, is God, our Creator. We must do as Mary and the apostles and disciples did, and set about earnestly listening to the Most Holy Trinity in prayer.

“Lord, you will show me the path of life. Alleluia!”

Like Cleopas and his companion, we must all walk together and share our sorrows, our worries, our challenges, and our hope with one another. The Holy Spirit wants to help married couples to open up to one another their thoughts, their hearts, and their souls. Parents with their children can also open themselves up to each other. Just as importantly, we all need to join in with the assembly to hear the Word of God, to adore the Lord our God, and to eat the Body and drink the Blood of Christ. As the baby suckles and is nourished at its mother’s breast, so too must we drink deeply from Jesus’ Sacred Heart. It is his own divine life with the Father in the Holy Spirit that Jesus causes to spring up within us as a fountain of living water.

The new life which Jesus gives us through our Baptism is a sharing in his paschal mystery. As we accept to die with Jesus, we die to our old life of selfishness in order to rise from this death to the new life of love for our neighbour; loving even our enemies. Jesus drew his disciples into two movements. In the first movement, Jesus said to them, as He says to us: “Come to me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Then, nourished and strengthened by Him, in the second movement, Jesus sends them out, as he also sends us: “Go and proclaim the good news, and make disciples. You have received freely; now, give freely.”

“Lord, you will show me the path of life. Alleluia!”

“Lord Jesus, we are sinners, but we cannot wait to be perfect before proclaiming to our world the good news that You are the Son of God and the one and only Saviour of the human race. In your great and divine mercy, forgive our sins, repair our defects, heal our wounds, strengthen our weaknesses, and fill us with your Holy Spirit. Send us out and accompany us as we go to the people of our time; help us to share with them the Good News that You rose from the dead; You are the Son of God; You love them and You offer them a new life which will lead them and us into eternal life. Come, Lord Jesus. O my Jesus, I trust in You.”

“Lord, you will show me the path of life. 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

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

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

+ + + + + + + + + + + +

Jesus comes to touch and renew our heart - let us walk with Him in his passion - April 2nd, 2023 - Palm and Passion Sunday - 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.

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

Palm and Passion Sunday

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

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Yesterday, I was giving a 3-hour seminar workshop “Introduction to Prayer”. A young woman who with her fiancé was at the marriage preparation course, asked me this question. “My grandmother says that there is so much evil in the world that Jesus will have to come soon in his glory; that will be the end of the world. What do you think about that?”

Here is what I replied. The apotles and the first generation of the disciples of Jesus were expecting Jesus to come back soon, in 10 or at the most 20 years. They discovered that Jesus was delaying his return in glory. In each generation until today, there have been signs that the end of the world could be approaching. However, I must admit that right now there is all over the world an over abundance of evil, but there is also much good.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Our environment is rapidly coming to the precipice and more and more scientists are sounding the alarm that our planet Earth is already at the point of no return: so many species are disappearing or in danger of going extinct. Genesis tells us that God our Creator entrusted his creation to the human race; so that we might cultivate his garden. Instead of cultivating it, we are exploiting it to destruction. God places all the goods of the Earth at the disposal of all, but there are too many of us who accumulate far more than we need, while blocking access to these goods for the rest of the population; creating millions of poor who are dying of hunger.

We are literally closer to the end of the world day by day and hour after hour. Either Jesus will return in his glory, or I myself will die tonight. One way or another, it will be the end for me. That is the truth for all of us. Our life is running fast to the end. That is why God our Father sent his Son to our Earth, and He continues to send Him. Jesus wants to touch our heart; so, we might let his Father love us by opening our heart to Him. That is why Jesus makes us belong to the Assembly of God’s children who help us encounter Jesus and let Him encounter us.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus invites us to walk with Him in his passion, and especially, during this Holy Week. We can take the role of each character in the passion, standing in their shoes, and then we will see Jesus show us the face and heart of God who loves all of his children without exception. If we want to receive the love of God which carries us into eternal life, we must let our heart open its gates wide and accept the risk of suffering like Jesus the rejection, condemnation, torture, and death. When we close the gates of our heart in order to try to avoid being hurt, the closing of our heart prevents us at the same time from loving and being loved.

“The Lord God helps me; therefore, I have not been disgraced; therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame!”

I am one of the apostles who fall asleep in the garden… I am Judas who betrays Jesus… the one who cut the ear off the high priest’s slave… I am among the disciples who flee… the high priest who judges Jesus… I am among those who strike Jesus… Peter who denies even knowing Jesus… Pilate who interrogates Jesus… I am among the soldiers who torture Jesus… among those who mock Jesus… I am Simon who helps Jesus… among the women who weep for Jesus… one of the thieves beside Jesus… I am among the men and women disciples who care for Jesus’ body… Jesus loves them all… Jesus loves us all….

Jesus’ passion continues to unfold in all of our own passions in life and in all the passions of our neighbours and of the whole human race….

“The Lord God helps me; therefore, I have not been disgraced; therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame!”

Jesus offers his life to his Father on the altar of the cross. It is our turn now to lay down our life with Jesus on the altar as a single offering to God our Father. We offer ourselves with Jesus: all that we carry within us and which, in silence, we lay down, including our own will; opening wide our spirit to God.

“The Lord God helps me; therefore, I have not been disgraced; therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame!”

“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

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

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

+ + + + + + + + + + + +

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! - March 26th, 2023 - 5th Sunday of Lent - 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.

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

5th Sunday of Lent

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

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

Our pastor, Francis McKee, is on vacation with his family in Ireland for 2 or 3 weeks. There was a complaint against him to the ombudsman concerning his use of authority. Who among us is perfect, never makes a mistake, is always calm, always welcomes with perfect listening? Still, no one can escape the demands of justice, truth, courtesy, and charity. So, there has to be an investigation to examine the facts. Let us pray for Francis McKee and for our parishes, so that the truth may come into the light of day.

I believe that it is also true that as a people, as a society, we have become impatient, intolerant, contemptuous, and critical. We refuse to love those who oppose us. It is no picnic to be a priest in our world and our Church today. And yet, to live and serve as a priest remains a great human and spiritual adventure. Jesus is risen from the dead, and soon we shall walk with Him in his passion, the great gift of his life out of love for us and for all of humanity. Jesus is Lord, the Son of God, and He permits all these trials to fall on our heads. We must believe in Him and put all our trust in Him.

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

Jesus wants to rescue us, but we must admit that we need to be rescued. “You shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.” The ways of the Lord our God are mysterious, but He does not want to save us without our participation. We need to desire the salvation which the Lord offers us. He has even given us this prayer inspired and written by the Psalmist some 3,000 years ago: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

At every moment, we are free to choose how to live our life: under the tyranny of the flesh or under the guidance of the Spirit. Will I remain a slave to my anger? To my appetites? To my sexual impulses? To my gluttony? To my fears or my jealousy? To my pride? At every moment, the Holy Spirit makes to surge within me his own divine power which we call grace and which gently invites me and gives me strength to walk in the steps of Jesus, following Him, by loving my neighbour and even my enemies.

Who are the enemies that Jesus calls me to love? With which person must I seek to be reconciled? Who is it that is doing me harm; so that I may pray for them? Which family member must I love better? Who is the stranger for whom I must pray?

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

Jesus rescued the Samaritan woman from her despair just by chatting with her and by showing her his compassion and love, but He also questioned her and provoked her to tell all the truth about her upside down life. Jesus gave sight to the man born blind in order to save him but also to shake up the proud religious leaders who thought they were without sin and didn’t need to be saved by God. Today we see Jesus raise his friend Lazarus from death and the tomb. Jesus gives us plenty of reasons to believe in Him and put all our trust in Him.

What is the despair from which Jesus wants to rescue me? What sight does Jesus want to give me so that I may see more clearly? From out of which tomb does Jesus want to bring me?

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

It is still daylight, and the night has not yet swallowed us up. There is still time for us to be reconciled with God and with our neighbour, and also with Jesus’ Church. We still have priests ready to welcome us and to hear our confession; because they know full well that it is Jesus who meets the penitent who comes to confession. Take advantage of it while you still can.

In a few moments, 3 young sisters will be baptized. God our Father will adopt them and their parents and godparents will help them to pay attention to God coming to live in their soul. It is because we are God’s children that we bring our offering to the altar of God. We offer ourselves: all that we carry within us, our reluctance to be holy, our distaste for being perfect; our hopes and our fears, our desires and our regrets, our sins and our repentance, and even our own will. Let us open wide our spirit to God; so that the Lord may do in us all that He desires to do: to lead, to forgive, to heal, to make us holy and perfect, and to give life.

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!

I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

“Mary Mother of God, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

In silence now, the Holy Spirit continues to restore our sight to see the Light of God.

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

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

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

+ + + + + + + + + + + +

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! - March 26th, 2023 - 5th Sunday of Lent - The L.S.M. of C.A.M. at St. Willibrord Church, Verdun

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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

5th Sunday of Lent

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

Homily MP3 version - PDF version

Optional Spiritual Exercise: Sacred History Reflection on My Life

What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

Our pastor, Robert Assaly, has gone home to the Father’s house. He lived a full life, being married, had with his wife six children who are now adults and living their lives, and served a number of years as an Anglican priest before joining the Roman Catholic Church and being ordained as a R. C. priest. We were delighted to know him and receive his kind and generous service these past few years. May he rest in peace in the joy of the Father’s house.

These are also difficult days because of the open line to the ombudsman. Already, a few priests have been suspended due to a variety of complaints. I believe that it is also true that as a people, as a society, we have become impatient, intolerant, contemptuous, and critical. We refuse to love those who oppose us. It is no picnic to be a priest in our world and our Church today. And yet, to live and serve as a priest remains a great human and spiritual adventure. Jesus is risen from the dead, and soon we shall walk with Him in his passion, the great gift of his life out of love for us and for all of humanity. Jesus is Lord, the Son of God, and He permits all these trials to fall on our heads. We must believe in Him and put all our trust in Him.

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

Jesus wants to rescue us, but we must admit that we need to be rescued. “You shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.” The ways of the Lord our God are mysterious, but He does not want to save us without our participation. We need to desire the salvation which the Lord offers us. He has even given us this prayer inspired and written by the Psalmist some 3,000 years ago: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

At every moment, we are free to choose how to live our life: under the tyranny of the flesh or under the guidance of the Spirit. Will I remain a slave to my anger? To my appetites? To my sexual impulses? To my gluttony? To my fears or my jealousy? To my pride? At every moment, the Holy Spirit makes to surge within me his own divine power which we call grace and which gently invites me and gives me strength to walk in the steps of Jesus, following Him, by loving my neighbour and even my enemies.

Who are the enemies that Jesus calls me to love? With which person must I seek to be reconciled? Who is it that is doing me harm; so that I may pray for them? Which family member must I love better? Who is the stranger for whom I must pray?

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

Jesus rescued the Samaritan woman from her despair just by chatting with her and by showing her his compassion and love, but He also questioned her and provoked her to tell all the truth about her upside down life. Jesus gave sight to the man born blind in order to save him but also to shake up the proud religious leaders who thought they were without sin and didn’t need to be saved by God. Today we see Jesus raise his friend Lazarus from death and the tomb. Jesus gives us plenty of reasons to believe in Him and put all our trust in Him.

What is the despair from which Jesus wants to rescue me? What sight does Jesus want to give me so that I may see more clearly? From out of which tomb does Jesus want to bring me?

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

It is still daylight, and the night has not yet swallowed us up. There is still time for us to be reconciled with God and with our neighbour, and also with Jesus’ Church. We still have priests ready to welcome us and to hear our confession; because they know full well that it is Jesus who meets the penitent who comes to confession. Take advantage of it while you still can.

In a few moments, we will bring our offering to the altar of God. We offer ourselves: all that we carry within us, our reluctance to be holy, our distaste for being perfect; our hopes and our fears, our desires and our regrets, our sins and our repentance, and even our own will. Let us open wide our spirit to God; so that the Lord may do in us all that He desires to do: to lead, to forgive, to heal, to make us holy and perfect, and to give life.

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

“Mary Mother of God, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

In silence now, the Holy Spirit continues to restore our sight to see the Light of God.

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.

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© 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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Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them! - March 19th, 2023 - 4th Sunday of Lent - MQP Church in JLW Parish

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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4th Sunday of Lent

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

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!”

“Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” David is the one God chose to precede Jesus who would come after him. Jesus came to pour out this same Spirit, the very Spirit of the Living God, upon every human person who wants to receive him. What we need is to desire to receive the Spirit of God, but we must also put no obstacle to block Him.

“The Pharisees did not believe that he had been blind from birth and that now he could see.” These people who closed their hearts to Jesus were not men after God’s own heart like David was; they cultivated in themselves a contrary spirit. What then is the quality of my heart? Am I cultivating in myself a contrary spirit? Or do I desire to receive the Spirit of God so that He might renew in me a spirit after God’s own heart?

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!”

These days, we are full of challenges. Our pastor, Francis McKee, had to leave us for an indeterminate period of time. We are left full of questions. In our lives and in our families as well – at work as well as in school – we face plenty of challenges and trials. Is God punishing us? “Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” That is the truth we must live out in our lives. Evil never comes from God but from the enemy; however, God permits evil so that the trial may purify our heart; so that our struggle against evil may remove the obstacles to God’s love and his Spirit and make us stronger; so that God might manifest his power to save.

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!”

What evil am I doing in secret? God warns that “everything shameful exposed by the light becomes visible”. We must take care not to cultivate within us a contrary spirit, not to resist God’s call to conversion. We are free to desire the grace the Spirit of God wants to pour into us and bring us to repent, turn away from all evil, and turn our face, our mind, our heart to Jesus.

What is the good word to be said? What is the right thing to do? What is the good deed to put into action? With which person must I seek to be reconciled? Who is it that is doing me harm; so that I may pray for them? Who is the enemy that Jesus commands me to love; so that I might be a daughter, a son of God, and resemble Him?

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!”

When Jesus gave his disciples authority and power to forgive, it was to inaugurate the kingdom of God, God who is merciful and never refuses to forgive the one who repents and asks for forgiveness. If we inherit from Jesus the Sacrament of Reconciliation, of Penance, called Confession, it’s to restore our own ability and willingness to forgive, to free from their chains those we retain by our anger, vengeance, or bitterness. Break the chains! Open the prisons! Free the captives!

As long as we still have priests, let us not waste the opportunity to confess our sins before the priest, to meet Jesus Himself through the priest. Let us allow God the Father to restore our capacity and willingness to forgive, to free the captives, to restore their sight to the blind!

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!”

One day, perhaps there will be no more priests… if the men Jesus is calling do not put aside their fear in order to put their trust in the Lord and answer his call. Every priest is a sinner like all of us, and every day he needs our prayers, our love, our forgiveness. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to forgive.

In a few moments, it will be time to place at the altar our offering to God. It is ourselves that we offer: all that we carry within us, our reluctance to be holy, our distaste for being perfect; our hopes and our fears, our desires and our regrets, our sins and our repentance, and even our own will. Let us open wide our spirit to God; so that the Lord may do in us all that He desires to do: to lead, to forgive, to heal, to make us holy and perfect, and to give life.

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!”

“Mary Mother of God, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

In silence now, the Holy Spirit continues to restore our sight to see the Light of God.

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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