Father Gilles' English Homilies

Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! He has delivered the needy from the hands of evildoers! - June 25th, 2023 - 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time "A" - MQP Church in JLW Parish & LSM - Late Sunday Mass in St. Willibrord

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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12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

Word of God - Readings & Gospel - PDF version

Noon Mass - Homily MP3 version - PDF version

The LSM at St. Willibrord in Verdun

8:00 p.m. Mass - 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

“Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! He has delivered the needy from the hands of evildoers!”

Here is Jesus always near to us to encourage us to put aside all fear in the face of evil men and their terrible actions in the world. What is the condition of our spirits in the face of all the threats multiplying all over the world today? Whether it be the Russian aggression in Ukraine, or acts of war or violence in the Middle East, in Africa or Asia, or else the virulent persecution of Christians in general and of Catholics in particular all over the world; what is our attitude, what is our prayer, and what is our response?

“Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! He has delivered the needy from the hands of evildoers!”

Just as dramatic are the constantly changing conditions of our world economies, of the Covid pandemic and other health threats, as well as the great climatic challenges. What will our living conditions be in the future? Even more pertinently or essentially, what is our attitude towards God in the face of all these disasters in our world? Are we ashamed of our God, or are we able to recognize his Presence and action in our world and in our lives? When others are defiant towards us and our faith, do we feel pressured to deny the Lord Jesus “before humans”, or are we ready to declare ourselves for Jesus and to acknowledge Him “before humans”?

“Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! He has delivered the needy from the hands of evildoers!”

In the face the daily challenges of life and the unending and unavoidable changes which life brings us every day, are we inclined to let ourselves be crushed and discouraged? And yet, we are neither alone nor abandoned. We have only to open the Bible to the Book of Psalms to find a complaint perfectly suited to express the anguish of our heart, the confusion of our mind, and the distress of our soul. As we pray the complaint, God hears and permeates us with his grace.

“Lord, in your steadfast love, answer me. It is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to my mother’s children. It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”

“Lord, in your steadfast love, answer me!”

Jesus declares it clearly: God our Father sees us and watches closely over us. He sees all that happens to us, and He permits all that happens in the world, far away, as well as close by. We are not ready for Heaven; that is why God permits that all these trials purify the intentions of our heart; in order to make room in us for all the love of God and of our neighbour.

As well, we are weak, and we need these trials which provoke us to resist the evil and the temptations, and to fight against all that is evil. God knows very well that it is only by our resistance and our struggle against all that is evil, that we can be strengthened to endure.

“The Lord hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds!”

Finally, at the end of each day, as we prepare for sleep, and when we review our day, we can ask God our Father to forgive us for our faults, and give Him thanks for his Presence, his help, and his love. It is as we pray that we can become conscious of the Presence of the Most Holy Trinity within us, and that we can realize that all is grace; all is gift. He shows us that we have control over nothing; so, why keep trying to carry the weight of the whole world on our shoulders, when Jesus is already taking care of that? Since all that we are, and all that comes to us, and all that we have is gift from God; we can relax, we can rest, and we can breathe.

“The Lord hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds!”

Our life on this Earth is brief. We can choose to live as if God doesn’t exist or as if He is doing nothing, and we can deny Him before humans, or we can choose to believe in Him, to trust Him, to open our eyes, our minds, and our hearts, and to welcome into our lives his Presence and his saving action. Ask to meet with a priest and allow the Lord to strengthen you in your faith. Jesus declares that it is the truth which will set us free. In the presence of the priest one can obtain God’s forgiveness but also some spiritual direction.

“The Spirit of truth will testify on my behalf, says the Lord, and you also are to testify!”

That is why it is so important for us to participate well in the Sunday Liturgy, at Holy Mass. We can prepare the day before and Sunday morning by remembering all that we have lived since our last presence at the Sacred Liturgy. We can dispose ourselves to place on the altar the offering of ourselves: our efforts during the week to live as daughters, sons of God; all that we accept to endure out of love; our trials, our sorrows, our losses, our worries, our prayers, our temptations, our disappointments, and even our sins; putting all our trust in God.

“The Spirit of truth will testify on my behalf, says the Lord, and you also are to testify!”

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

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

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

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© 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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Let us confess that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are his! - June 18th, 2023 - 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time "A" - MQP Church in JLW Parish

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Happy Fathers' Day!

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

Gospel & Homily MP3 version - PDF version

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

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness!”

God gave himself a people in the descendants of Abraham and his wife Sarah consisting of their great grandchildren, the twelve sons of Jacob and grandsons of Isaac. All the books of the Old Testament in our Bible come from the descendants of these 12 boys who became the twelve tribes of Israel. These tribes did not all survive the turbulent events of the centuries, such that today, the world’s Jews don’t quite add up to 16 million, which is less than half the population of Canada, and we are a fairly small country.

Still, when we consider the history of humanity, the disproportional importance of the Jewish people cannot be explained in any other way than by the presence and action of God in the midst of his Chosen People. God wanted to prepare the coming of his favourite daughter, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the woman God the Father chose from the beginning to one day give birth with a human life to his only begotten divine Son, whom He wanted to name Jesus, that is, Yeshoua in Hebrew, which literally means: “God saves”.

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness!”

This characteristic of God our Creator manifests itself throughout Creation. Everywhere we look, we see an overabundance of living species: plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables, animals, fish, insects, and even bacteria, most of which are not only beneficial, but essential for life.

The remarkable survival of the Jewish people and the fact that they are abundantly fruitful in many domains: music, medicine, finance, the arts, pure sciences, technology, and in their family and community culture, and this in spite of their small numbers; this too can only be explained by the presence and action of God in the midst of his Chosen People.

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness!”

The Lord conducts himself towards his people as a good shepherd who loves his sheep and wants to assure not only the survival but the eternal salvation of his people, of each of his lambs. The Lord is our Good Shepherd. What are the trials through which the Lord has helped you to survive as you went through the experience and realization of your own poverty?

As it has been for the Jewish people; so, has it been for us who became Christians by our Baptism as infants or later by choice, over the last two millennia: we gave rise to the university as an open institution, to the scientific revolution, to the remarkable period of the renaissance, and to the evangelization of the entire world.

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness!”

The good news and the Christian faith have survived several pandemics, the Muslim invasion of the second half of the first millennium, the divisions among Christians of the second millennium, and the twentieth century which was the deadliest century in human history.

Saint Paul reminds us, as he did for the Romans, “While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” God manifested his extravagance in the passion and death of Jesus, son of Mary and Son of God, and by his resurrection. Jesus is God who saves us by his reconciliation of us with our Father and Creator. It is impossible for us to earn communion in the love of God, but this inheritance is freely given to us by the Father in his Son Jesus.

“Let us confess that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are his!”

Jesus gave his twelve Apostles a share in his authority to “proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” by doing what seems to us humanly impossible: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Your received without payment; give without payment.” That is exactly what they went out and did.

Our life on this Earth is brief. We can choose to live as if God doesn’t exist or as if He is doing nothing, or we can choose to believe in Him, to trust Him, to open our eyes, our minds, and our hearts, and to welcome into our lives his Presence and his saving action.

“Let us confess that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are his!”

That is why it is so important for us to participate well in the heavenly banquet of the Most Blessed Sacrament. We can prepare the day before and on Sunday by remembering all that we have lived since our last presence at the Sacred Liturgy. We can dispose ourselves to place on the altar our whole life: our efforts during the week to live as daughters, sons of God; all that we accept to endure out of love; our trials, our sorrows, our losses, our worries, our prayers, our temptations, and even our sins; putting all our trust in God.

“Let us confess that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are his!”

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

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

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

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

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The Most Holy Trinity

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

Homily MP3 version - PDF version

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses to the end of the Earth. Alleluia! - May 28th, 2023 - Pentecost Sunday "A" - LSM - Late Sunday Mass in St. Willbrord Church

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Pentecost Sunday

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

Gospel & Homily MP3 version - PDF version

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

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

The apostles became witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind.” Have you ever wanted to experience a dazzling manifestation of the power of God? Before Jesus’ ascension, and having seen Jesus after his resurrection, even some of the Apostles had doubts. What about us, what about our doubts? In the face of all the terrible things happening in the world, and in the face of our own trials, what about our own doubts regarding God? What are we to do with our doubts?

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

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

In his Gospel, John says that, the “evening on the day Jesus rose from the dead… Jesus breathed on them”. The dazzling manifestation of the Holy Spirit only happened 50 days later. This means that God takes the time we need in order to bring about in our spirit that openness to the work of the Holy Spirit within us. Examine your memory; search your memories. What are the moments when you were touched by the love of God? While walking in nature? While saying your prayers? Reading Sacred Scripture? Reflecting in silence in a church? While participating during Holy Mass? When you were receiving Jesus in Holy Communion?

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

By his resurrection, Jesus gave them a great joy. It wasn’t happiness, because they still feared the authorities, but it was a heavenly joy. In your life, what has been your greatest joy? I’m not talking about happiness, but about joy in God. What has been your greatest joy? The love of God is constantly being given by the Father and Jesus his Son, because the love of God is the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit gives himself to us in a flood like the sun that never stops shining even during the night. Our part is simply to remain open and receptive to this flow of divine life which is the love of God, the Holy Spirit. We are also to let fall every obstacle, every obstruction to this river of divine love which is in God and which seeks to fill us to purify us, to heal us, to strengthen us, and to send us out into the world.

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

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

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

Imagine your greatest joy multiplied to the infinite…. What a wonder! This heavenly joy gives us a glimpse of God the Father and his Son Jesus united in their divine love which is the Holy Spirit. God pours into us his Holy Spirit like a river. All we have to do is become aware of it and thank Him. Confession helps us let go of all that obstructs the flow of God’s Spirit in us or prevents his love from flowing out from us to others. God’s love unites us to all of humanity; even to enemies. The Holy Spirit helps us take to heart the whole world, even enemies.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses to the end of the Earth. Alleluia! - May 21st, 2023 - Ascension of the Lord "A" - MQP Church in JLW Parish

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Ascension of the Lord

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

Gospel & Homily MP3 version - PDF version

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia! - May 7th, 2023 - 5th Sunday of Easter "A" - MQP Church in JLW Parish

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5th 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

“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”

Among the early Assembly of disciples of Jesus, “the Greeks complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.” Life sucks sometimes, and we have good reason to complain. How is your life these days, and for your family? You may very well have reason to complain. The solution devised by the apostles was to have the people select from among themselves men whom they would appoint deacons for the service of food. It was a labour of charity, hospitality, and fraternal service. To this day, our deacons continue this service, which takes many forms in accord with changing needs.

In those early days, there were no church buildings, and the disciples met in homes big enough to accommodate all those who wanted to come to the assemblies. We have church buildings now, but the Church is not the buildings; it is the people who assemble in the name of the Lord. Many of you have been called and have responded to the call to serve. In these ways, you become an instrument in the hands of the Lord for Him to manifest his power to save.

“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”

The same Saint Peter, who served as leader of the Twelve Apostles who ordained the first 7 deacons, now calls all of us to serve “like living stones; let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” We are free to choose to become a living stone in the hands of the Lord Jesus. How? Jesus is the corner stone. The architects took great care to carve the corner stone and took all their measurements for the walls from that stone, extending the lines from the very angles of that corner stone. Jesus is our Corner Stone. We look at Him and take our direction, our angles, from Him. We contemplate Jesus: his words, his attitudes, his daily prayer to the Father, his silent time in the peace of his heart, and we follow in his steps and imitate Him.

“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”

Jesus’ entire life was a spiritual sacrifice to his Father, not just his passion and death. At every moment, Jesus paid attention to his Father and the communion he enjoyed with Him in his mind, heart, body, and soul. We can also do this. We can learn to pay attention to God the Father always present to us and who loves us. Beginning at our Baptism, we began to be filled with the Holy Spirit, the Divine Breath of the Love between the Father and the Son. Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would remind us of all that He said and did, and help us to understand what is the will of the Father and help us to do it. We can make every situation, every word we say, and every task we perform, a spiritual sacrifice agreeable to God the Father.

“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”

Our Lord Jesus, our Teacher and Saviour, says also to us, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him…. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” Yes, we are still human, still sinners, still weak, but we are living stones in a living Temple, and God, the Most Holy Trinity, dwells within each of us.

“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”

Today, Jesus says to us who are in our world “his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” We are not to allow ourselves to be discouraged by our weakness or faults. Do not let the enemy, the devil – God’s adversary – who is called Satan, the accuser; do not let him discourage you with dark thoughts. When dark thoughts rise within you to discourage you, turn your eyes, ears, and spirit to Jesus; contemplate Jesus, and see in Jesus the Father’s love for all of us, and for you. Say: “O my Jesus, I trust in You!”

“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. 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.”

“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”

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

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

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

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