Receiving a gift is something very special. We are remembered. Appreciated. It is a sign of love. In our second reading this weekend in First Corinthians 12:4-11, St. Paul writes about spiritual gifts. These gifts far exceed any gifts that we will ever receive here on earth, for they come from the Lord, our God.
These gifts are not meant to be kept for ourselves. Rather, they are meant to be shared. As members of the Church, the Church being the mystical body of Christ in our midst, each us of are called to share our gifts and to contribute to the body (the Church) of Christ. Whether we are in elementary school, working, raising a family, caring and loving grandchildren, or what have you, each of us have been called. These gifts enable Christ’s followers to serve and edify others, thereby creating greater unity in the Church. St. Paul emphasized the gift of charity, which he characterized as being pure, unselfish love and concern for the well-being of others. He taught that charity should govern the exercise of all other spiritual gifts in the Church. Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbour as ourselves for the love of God. The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy. These, my friends are what I want for each of us and those that we love. While we may be tired, we continue to navigate through these times with Christ as our guide. May we be refueled by the Word of God and Body of Christ this weekend. May we share our gifts with one another. May the banners in our Church sanctuary remind us what we are called to do, every day. All out of love. When we seek the gifts of the Spirit, we bless others and strengthen the Church. This is my prayer for us as a community of believers here at St. Julia. May God bless and keep safe each of you and those that you love. Fr. Greg This weekend we the celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. Just as fast as Christmas came, here we are, with the Christmas season coming to a close. In the midst of everything we are going through together, it is an opportunity for us to pause, to reflect on how different this season has once again been for us, but also to reflect on what the season is truly about – God, taking on our human flesh; Immanuel – God with us. This is what we need to remind ourselves. Whether we are in our dwellings alone, whether we are caring for a loved one, whether we are separated from those that we love for various reasons, and the list goes on for each of us, the Christmas message is one that is to remain with us all year long. In good times, and in the times when we are tested, facing challenges, or just tired. It is our Saviour who is very much with us, comforting us, guiding us, and lifting us up in our time of need. A simply prayer of “Come, Holy Spirit” is all we need to say.
Our first such encounter with Christ was at our baptism. I myself was baptized at St. Michael Church in Fort Erie by Msgr. Leo Clutterbuck, then Fr. Leo. It is at our baptism where we first receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, with the Holy Spirit coming down upon us, and then the fullness of those gifts is received at our Confirmation. Baptisms are joyous events for families and our parish community. How very special that I have the honour of baptizing a baby boy from our parish family this Sunday afternoon. I will ask the parents “Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?” Parents are the first teachers of the faith. Godparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, priests, all of us, assist the parents. This child will embark on a life-long journey of learning and embracing the faith. It is our God who will be with this child through the good times, and the challenges of life. So, what is the important message here. It is our God who is with us, and sees us through the good times, and the challenges times. It is our God, through the power of the Holy Spirit who will see us through these times as well. May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love. Keep safe. For so many of our parish family, your presence is greatly missed at our parish of St. Julia, though I know that we are united together, virtually, in the celebration of the Mass. Come, Holy Spirit. Fr. Greg The celebration of the birth of our Saviour has arrived. Welcome to Christmas at St. Julia 2021. Whether in person or virtually, I am grateful that we will be able to gather together as a parish family, united in prayer, for this most beautiful and joyous occasion. In the midst of everything that we are going through, together, we need this celebration. May we hear the words “Glory to God in the Highest” as if we are hearing them sung by the angels themselves 2000 plus years ago in Bethlehem.
The birth of Jesus is the greatest work of God because it illuminates for us God’s great love for each and every one of us. God took on our human flesh, becoming one of us, by sending his son Jesus Christ to walk with us and to give us such a beautiful glimpse into the heart of our creator. Our salvation and eternal happiness rest in the loving arms of Jesus Christ. It is this Christ who continues to navigate us through these challenges times. It is with open arms (socially distanced of course) that I welcome you to our Christmas celebrations. This caring community of believers is a place where all are welcome, and it is my prayer that every time you join us you are drawn into the great mystery of our faith – a faith centered on Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Word made flesh. This is what we celebrate with the birth of Jesus – the Prince of Peace. It is my prayer that you experience and encounter the peace of Christ when you join us for Mass. May it be the greatest gift that you will receive this Christmas. May the peace of Christ be with you this Christmas season, and may our loving God bless each of you and those that you love, today and always. Merry Christmas! Fr. Greg Dominus vobiscum. The Lord be with you. We began the season of Advent with the question “Is God the dominant force in your life?” Put another way, is God, is our Saviour, the center of your life? As the season of Advent draws to a close, we make the final preparations for the solemn celebration of Christ’s birth, now in just a few short days. So, I ask you and I the question, are we ready to welcome Christ into our heart’s this Christmas?
In our first reading from the prophet Micah, a prophet who lived some seven-hundred years before the birth of Christ, he speaks of Bethlehem. Bethlehem was one of the smallest and the least of the towns of Judah. It would be chosen, by God, as the place where “God made flesh,” the Messiah, would be born, and come into our world. From a place so insignificant came something so great. All out of love. As we light the fourth candle on our Advent wreath, we are reminded of the great love that God has for each and everyone of us. Never forget this. May we reflect this same love in our words, deeds, and actions, from the greatest to the least. Remember, what seems like something small or insignificant to us just might mean the world to someone else. The greatest preparation we just might make this upcoming week might be the one no one on earth will ever see. O come, O come, Emmanuel. May the Lord be with you, this day and always. Fr. Greg As we continue to journey through this season of Advent together as a parish family, we are drawing close to celebrating the birth of our Saviour. The Lord, our Lord, is very close to us. Our passages from Scripture remind us of this, and it is the recurring theme in the season of Advent.
The fact that our Lord is near to us, I pray, should bring comfort to all believers. Our Saviour took on our human flesh, to be one with us and to walk with us. He showed us how to live and how to love, both our God and our neighbour. He showed us how to be people of hope, peace, joy, and love. When I was a seminarian at Our Lady of the Scapular Parish in Niagara Falls, I met a faith-filled lady who I admire to this day. She shared with me an explanation of the Advent wreath: The Advent wreath is a symbol of the 4-week wait and preparation in our hearts for Jesus’ birth. The green branches (“ever green” or “ever alive”) remind us of the new life we have in Jesus (Jesus died for us but is now alive and never to die again). The prickly pines remind us of the crown of thorns that was put on Jesus head. The circle of the wreath reminds us that His love has no beginning and no end. The holly berries represent drops of blood……the blood Jesus shed for us on the cross. The candles represent the light Jesus brings into a dark world. As we enter now the Third Week of Advent, may we continue to embrace this season of preparation and the preparing of our hearts. Consider joining us for our “Lessons & Carols” Sunday evening; our Advent Reconciliation Service Wednesday evening, or weekday morning Mass, all either in person or via our YouTube channel. Make the most of this time, and be the light of Jesus to someone this day. O come, O come, Emmanuel. May God bless and keep safe each of you and those that you love, Fr. Greg Picture it. Confirmation 2020. I am sitting beside Bishop Bergie and I whisper over “don’t forget the Gloria.” He replied, “Fr. Greg, there is no Gloria during Advent.” Opps, after we had recited the Gloria at all our masses last year on the First Sunday of Advent. I don’t remember much of the Confirmation after that. Amen that I did not make the same mistake this year. We are creatures of habit and learn from our mistakes. So why is it that we do not recite, or sing the Glory to God in the Highest during Advent?
There are some basic rules that were set by the Second Vatican Council in its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. Within the cycle of a year the Church “unfolds” the whole mystery of Christ, from the incarnation and birth until the ascension, the day of Pentecost, and the expectation of blessed hope and the coming of the Lord (# 102). The church is to be particularly directed toward feasts of the Lord that point to salvation (#108). Put another way, a principle in ritual is to celebrate “feasts” and “fasts” in different ways to allow the mysteries of Christ to be made clear by the celebration. The Resurrection of Christ takes pre-eminence and is characterized by 40 days of Lenten penance followed by the Sacred Triduum and 8 full days (the “Octave”) of Easter. In the same way, Advent precedes Christmas as a time of preparation. In a way, we “fast” in the liturgy to prepare for the “feast” of Christmas. We can also remember where the first words of the Gloria came from: the Angels sang it to the shepherds the very night that Jesus was born. So, when we will sing the Glory to God in the Highest at our Christmas masses, we will be caught up in a tremendous “feast” of the joy surrounding the birth of our Saviour. As we enter this Second Week of Advent, may we embrace the season of preparation as a parish family here at St. Julia. May we find precious moments to slow down and remember what this season is exactly all about. O come, O come, Emmanuel. May God bless and keep safe each of you and those that you love, Fr. Greg This weekend we begin a new liturgical year with the Season of Advent. With each passing day from now until Christmas, we will lose about 20 minutes more of daylight. As I love to go for walks, in the evening there will be opportunities to enjoy the stars in the sky and all of the decorations that light up our neighbourhoods. There is something about darkness. We slow down, and in the case of reflecting upon the Season of Advent, we prepare.
The message we will be hearing throughout the season of Advent is exactly that. Preparing – preparing our hearts, for our God is sending a Saviour, Emmanuel, which means God-with-us. This preparing involves prayer and our active participation in the liturgy and sacraments of the Church, and our willingness to serve and to be of service to one another. Advent draws us in and invites us to do all this, with the help of Holy Spirit, to meet our God, who comes to us in the form of a baby. As we begin this Advent journey as a parish family, either in person or virtually, may we ponder the birth of our Saviour some 2000 years ago as we unite our prayers together to prepare for the coming of Christ into our hearts this Christmas. O come, O come, Emmanuel. May God bless and keep safe each of you and those that you love, Fr. Greg This weekend we celebrate the great Solemnity of Christ the King. It also draws to a close our liturgical year in the life of the Church as we prepare to begin the Season of Advent.
Next to the gift of life, our faith is the greatest gift we could ever be given. That faith stems from an ongoing and active relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ. That Son is rich in love and mercy. It is that love and mercy that we are called to share with others. This can be both a challenge and opportunity. Every day, we hear about the great need, and that need is found right in our own community. I was in awe last week when Deacon George spoke of the generosity of our community in giving to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Those donations provide for so many, the poor and the powerless. These are the ones who our King identifies with the most. Our King is not a king of wealth and power. May we continue to care for those in need, for they are Christ in our midst. May we turn to our Lord, Christ the King, for help and assistance. May the Holy Spirit give us that nudge to see the need in our midst. May we seek comfort in our faith, and know that we need not be afraid. Everything we need for our salvation is given to us in Sacred Scripture, and each week we unpack it, together, and help one another along the way to bring it alive, to reveal Christ’s presence in our midst, all with the help of the Holy Spirit. Know of my prayers, today and always, and thank you for all that you do to care for those in need. Fr. Greg This upcoming week I will have the honour and pleasure of visiting our three seminarians currently in formation for our diocese. Monday will take me to St. Peter’s Seminary in London to visit Yohander Sanchez who is in his first year of theology. On Tuesday I will be making my way to St. Philip Neri Seminary in Toronto in the late morning to visit Brian Izzard who is in his second year of philosophy. This is also where I completed my theology so it will be nice to return to see the Father’s who aided me in my formation. As you can imagine, I was a wild one in the seminary. In the early evening I will conclude my day to going to St. Augustine’s Seminary in Scarborough to visit Deacon Daniel Corso, now in his fourth and final year of theology.
My visits are for many reasons. To meet with them in person to check in to see how they are doing. To listen to them, as they share both the joys and the struggles of formation, as this is not an easy road, and their schedules and work loads are quite demanding. To see how they are doing spiritually, as they continue to discern God’s call. I will remind them of the balance of work, prayer, and rest. Most of all I want to assure them of the prayers of both myself but of the entire diocese and the Serra Club, and if it is God’s will, of those they will one day serve. The journey to become a priest is long, as these gentlemen are in formation for seven to eight years, thus our prayers, encouragement, and support are essential. It requires perseverance on their part, but also being open to listening to the Holy Spirit. The end goal is spirit driven, to serve the people of God and for the salvation of souls. We are nearly at the end of the Church’s Liturgical Year. Next Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King and the Sunday after that begins the new Church Year with the first Sunday of Advent, leading up to the Solemnity of Christmas on December 25. How is this possible? The same can be said for one’s time in the seminary. The time goes by so very quickly, and I will remind the gentlemen to enjoy and embrace the journey, for it truly is a blessed one at that. Thank you for praying for our seminarians, and join me as we implore the Holy Spirit to stir in the hearts of more young men the courage to explore a vocation to the priesthood in our diocese. These men are in our homes, schools, and community. Tap them on the shoulders. Say “you have the qualities that would make a good priest,” and plant the seed. May God bless each of you and those that you love. Fr. Greg It has been a busy and blessed start to the month of November here at St. Julia. From the celebration of All Saints on Monday, All Souls on Tuesday, our Memorial Mass Tuesday evening, virtual Denis Morris Catholic High School Mass on Wednesday, and our Summit Adoration Night Wednesday evening, I have been most blessed to witness how the Holy Spirit is alive in our parish and community.
At our mass with our high school students, I preached about the funeral mass. In my five plus years of priesthood, journeying with families as they say goodbye to their loved one has been some of the most touching and moving times in my ministry. It is at these times when hearts are moved, reminding one of the importance of our faith, our relationship with God and our creator, and that we will see our loved ones again in heaven. Just as important is that we need to continue praying for those who have gone before us, and that those prayers are what continue to keep us connected. This, and more, is what these young ladies and gentlemen needed to hear. In the back of my mind, I thought, where else are they going to hear this? Yes, the funeral is for the beloved family member or friend who has died. But the funeral mass is for the living as well – all those who mourn the loss of a loved one or friend. It is meant to bring comfort, strength, and peace to all, and to assure the family that they are not alone, and that this parish family is here to pray alongside them. So why should the funeral be held at the church? It is in the church where we welcomed that soul into the family of faith, at baptism, and it is at the church, at the funeral mass, where we entrust that soul to the love and mercy of God. The beautiful mass, and the eucharistic prayers are offered just for that loved one – your loved one. Plus, as I say, we are no closer to our loved ones who have gone before us than at the celebration of the mass – every mass. As we pray for all the departed souls who have gone before us, I pray that each of you, who mourn the loss of the loved one, whether it be recent or many years ago, be assured of my prayers and the prayers of your family here at St. Julia. May these prayers bring you comfort, strength, and peace. May God bless each of you and those that you love. Fr. Greg |
AuthorFrom Our Pastor Archives
July 2024
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