Trust In God
“In God We Trust; all others must pay cash!” this sign, hanging over the cash register in a store, always brings a smile to the passers-by. Jeremiah, in today’s 1st...
Call To Service
God’s call comes to us in different ways. Few among us have probably experienced a summons to ministry as dramatic as that of Isaiah (1st Reading Is 6:1-2,3-8), or as...
The Uphill Struggle of Discipleship
According to a myth popular among the ancient Greeks, Sisyphus, the king of Corinth and reputed founder of the Isthmian Games, was punished by gods because he outwitted them. Punishment was to push an...
Be Strong and United
This week’s readings invite us to face the future united and strong. Reading the word of God and interpreting it for life are the best means to meet this challenge.
In the 1st...
This Sunday’s 1st reading (Is. 62:1-5) and gospel (Jn 2:1-12) invite us to manifest our identity by becoming aware of our spousal relationship with God. John the Evangelist and Isaiah make use...
Last Sunday we reflected on “Travelling towards God” keeping the journey of the Magi in focus.“ Are we, the baptized Christians, travelling towards God with one heart and one mind?”, is a pertinent question when we...
In this week's reading, we hear that when the Magi saw the star, they came into the house. Then what did they do when they saw the Christ child in the arms of his mother? They fell down and...
In recent years, words such as “dysfunctional” have been used to describe the changing face and growing fragility of family. Almost every day media brings before us some horrific account of abuse or neglect or worse...
God chose Bethlehem for his Son. Why? If Jesus was born in Rome or Alexandria or Athens or Corinth, it would have made more sense from the point of view of spreading His message. Sophisticated Rome...
Step by step we are processing to the nearness of God. The step to be taken this week is symbolized in the pink candle we light on the Advent wreath. The mission we receive through the readings of...
The weeks of preparation for Christmas is an opportune time for cultivating a spirituality of waiting. The characteristics of the one we await affect the character of our waiting. Jesus is the loved one whose coming we await. And...
A reflection on the book “A Spirituality of Waiting” authored by Henri Nouwen (1993) seems worth considering for this advent. As Nouwen has affirmed, waiting is not a very popular posture. Many consider waiting a...
The last few Sundays of each liturgical year invite our attention to the last things: the end of the world, death and judgment, reward and retribution. The intended purpose of this focus on the end time is to...
“God has not called me to be successful. He has called me to be faithful” (Mother Teresa). This inspirational quote was printed on a memento when Mother Teresa died on September 5th 1997. May her...
Once upon a time, long, long ago, two men lived in an arid land. Nothing grew there except cactus, lizards and sand fleas. Growing weary of being so thirsty, they decided to travel to Niagara Falls. Upon...
THE GARDEN OF MARRIAGE
The readings of this week focus on the foundational relationship of all families: the partnership between a husband and a wife.
The first reading from Genesis (2:18-24) presents God’s search of &ldquo...
Accentuate the Positive
The readings of this Sunday present us with several challenges. The first reading and the gospel remind us that God’s Spirit is not confined to our church or even to Christianity. The Spirit...
Due to the protocols surrounding COVID-19, this year’s Annual Mass for the Faithful Departed has unfortunately been cancelled at our seven Catholic cemeteries.His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, will celebrate and livestream a special...
Mission possible
Jesus summoned his 12 disciples and began to send them giving them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing, for this journey, but a walking stick. Jesus sent out the 12 to basically do...
Our Jewish ancestors in the faith from Abraham to Moses to David to Qoheleth thought that death was the end of life, and existence after death was a comfortless affair. Perhaps the author of Job summed it up best...