Homily from Jan. 17, 2016: The wedding banquet

Jan 17, 2016 | Homilies

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Homily from Jan. 10, 2016: Christian, remember your dignity

Jan 10, 2016 | Homilies

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Homily from Jan. 3, 2016: An Encounter with the Light

Jan 3, 2016 | Homilies

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Homily from Jan. 1, 2016: Mary, the Model Disciple (AUDIO + TEXT)

Jan 1, 2016 | Homilies

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When God came here, born as a baby, he did so in a very gentle way. God didn’t force his way into the world that he created. Instead, he asked if he could come. He asked a woman who was completely free from all sin. And Mary, that young woman, likely a teenager, full of freedom and grace, said yes. She said yes to the question of God, and the world has been changed forever.   That’s why this day is so important in the life of the Church. Mary had an essential role in God’s plan for salvation. Mary is the model disciple. If we want to know how to live as a follower of Jesus, we need to look to her. As the model disciple, Mary was the very first one to receive Jesus and to share him with the world. Let me just briefly reflect on those two things.   First, Mary received Jesus into her life, into her very being. That’s meant for all of us. Jesus offers himself to us, in all gentleness. He longs to enter our hearts to heal, to fix what’s broken, and to bring us his life forever. So, as Mary said yes to the Angel — let it be done to me according to your word — so may we say yes to the Lord, in a new way this year.   But how can we do that? How do we say yes to the Lord? Look to Mary’s example! Over and over again in the gospel — including today — Mary is seen to be pondering the Lord in her heart. Reflecting. Praying. We need to do the same, even if just for a few precious moments in the day — to ponder, to be with God in prayer. We say our yes in prayer, even by fighting for our prayer when so many things want to draw away from it. Prayer is the air we breathe as Christians. Mary ponders; she prays. And she prays for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. We give our yes in prayer.   We also give our yes to God by how we live. Mary was without sin and full of grace. Her whole life was a profound “Yes” to God. So we should strive to be without sin, and when we fall down, we need to seek the mercy of God, especially in this Year of Mercy. Mary was completely free for God, completely without the sin that blocks us from God. She is our model of freedom.   Mary received Jesus. Mary then shared him with the world, and the world has never been the same. This makes Mary the model disciple. Jesus, God in the flesh, is the greatest gift we have ever known, because in him we find life. Once we realize that and say Yes to him, we can’t help but share him. Everything in us aches for him to be known! This is the fundamental mission of the Church — to share Jesus and make disciples! Mary was the first one to do that. So we can turn to her as our model and ask for her prayers.   As we start a new year, it’s a great time for us to get a fresh start and to renew our yes to Jesus.   Let me end with a prayer from Pope Francis, from his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium:   Mary, Virgin and Mother,
you who, moved by the Holy Spirit,
welcomed the word of life
in the depths of your humble faith:
as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One,
help us to say our own “yes”
to the urgent call, as pressing as ever,
to proclaim the good news of Jesus.   Virgin of listening and contemplation,
Mother of love, Bride of the eternal wedding feast,
pray for the Church, whose pure icon you are, 
that she may never be closed in on herself 
or lose her passion for establishing God’s kingdom.   Star of the new evangelization, 
help us to bear radiant witness to communion,
service, ardent and generous faith,
justice and love of the poor,
that the joy of the Gospel
may reach to the ends of the earth,
illuminating even the fringes of our world.   Mother of the living Gospel,
wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones, 
pray for us. Amen. Alleluia!

Homily from Dec. 24/25, 2015: _The_ Christmas Gift! (AUDIO & TEXT & VIDEO)

Dec 25, 2015 | Homilies

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Hubble Deep Field Image from 1995

One of my favourite photos of all time was taken 20 years ago, December of 1995. It was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. The geniuses over at NASA pointed the telescope at a small part of the night sky, to a spot where we see nothing with the naked eye. And they took a long exposure over two weeks. The result was incredible. It’s called the Deep Field Image, and it reveals a stunning array of galaxies and stars and colours and shapes. Almost 3000 distinct objects in an area of the sky where we don’t see anything with the naked eye! It’s one of the greatest photos I’ve ever seen.   The Deep Field Image gives us a glimpse of a universe that incomprehensibly vast, with details and wonders beyond what we can imagine. Now, when I reflect on that, and on the universe in general, I can’t help but think of the God in which all of this exists — the God of all the universe — and how he must be so incomprehensibly, infinitely vast and powerful.   Therefore, today should truly get our attention! Because today we’re celebrating the fact that this infinite God chose to be born as a human baby. The God of the universe become so small and so weak, that he can’t even hold up his own head. The God of heaven and earth needs diapers. The God who spoke the Word and light was created, is born as a human baby who can’t even talk.   Why? Why did the God of the universe do all this? Why did he become so vulnerable, so small, so delicate? Why Christmas?   Because God loves you and me. He loves his people. And when he saw that his people were diminished by sin; when he saw how we, as a race and as individuals, turned our backs on him, he set out on a rescue plan of love and mercy, and he came to where we are, and physically reaches down into human life. He’s born as one of us, and reaches into all of our joys and all of our messiness and our sinfulness and our sorrows. He came down here in order to lift us up to himself.   No wonder the angels appeared to the shepherds to proclaim a message of good news of great joy for all the people: because today in the city of David is born for you — A Saviour.   When it comes down to it, we all need a saviour. None of us is all we’re cracked up to be; none of us has a perfect life. In his first interview as Pope Francis defined himself as a sinner. And if he can do that, then surely I can do the same. Let’s not get overly sentimental about this. We need a Saviour. So, take heart! Today is good news! Born for you — Personally! By name! — born for you is the Saviour, the Christ, the God of all who became lowly in order to lift us high.   God is the Christmas gift, given in utter humility. But like any gift, it’s necessary for the gift to be properly received.  A gift that remains wrapped up is not doing what it’s meant to do. God gives us the gift himself and eternal life.   For example, the staff here at the parish gave a great gift a few days ago: A Darth Vader toaster. They know me too well. It looks like Darth Vader and it puts the Star Wars logo on the toast. So of course I had toast for supper, and again for lunch… But can you imagine if I’d never opened the gift? I wouldn’t be able to put Star Wars on my toast! It’d be useless. The gift must be received if it’s going to do what it’s supposed to do.   During this Christmas season, let’s unwrap more of that incredible gift of Jesus Christ. He is infinite, and we can always go deeper in unpacking the mystery of his coming among us. One of the ways we unpack this gift is by prayer — regularly, both individually and as families. How’s our prayer life doing? If you’re anything like me, it can always get better. If you’d like to pray and don’t know where to start, keep it simple. Use those prayers we learned growing up. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. The psalms in Scripture. Or just talk to God; he loves to hear us.   Second, we unpack this gift more as we enter deeper into the sacraments of the Church. Jesus gave us tremendous grace in the sacraments; don’t refuse his gift. Baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, confession — God is truly present in the sacraments, in physical ways that we can hear and see and smell and touch and taste. He’s not distant, but he comes right here.   Third, we enter powerfully into the gift of God when we share his love and mercy with others. Again, God gave everything of himself to you and me. To receive his gift, we must give of ourselves to one another, each according to our state in life.   Above all, if you remember nothing else from tonight, God is here. God has become one of us so that we might share in his life forever.  May that fill us with tremendous hope this Christmas.   Let us pray.   Lord Jesus, I believe that you are here now, in your Church, in your Word, and in your sacraments. You came in mercy to lift me up from my sins and to give me life forever. Help me to truly receive such a great gift. I welcome you into my heart once again. May I live always for you. Amen.

Homily from Dec. 20, 2015: A Canonization!

Dec 20, 2015 | Homilies

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