God graces us to cultivate the quality of the soil in our spirit; to help us select the attitudes with which we take in and respond to the events and storms of our lives. - Wednesday in the 16th Week in Ordinary Time, July 21st, 2021 - S + L Mass at MQW Cathedral downtown Montreal

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Sign of the + Cross       St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor of the Church

(Good Morning. Today this Holy Mass is being offered for:                         by:              )

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…. Brothers and Sisters, what a wonderful thing it is to be together here and via S+L Media to celebrate the Holy Eucharist in this wonderful cathedral. We stand expectantly before God, asking his healing grace for the world afflicted by Covid-19.

Penitential Rite         Brothers and sisters let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.  (Formula 1)

 Prayer after Communion                                    Announcement 

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Saint Joseph, pray for us.              Blessing and Dismissal

 

HOMILY

In more rural or remote places in Canada and in other countries, people live their lives in greater harmony with their environment. It would not be unusual to hear middle aged and the elderly say: “It’s a good life… a little hunting, a little fishing, and time for family and friends.”

Even in the country, at times people find their lives difficult. That is often the case in cities, where the pace of life, work, school, and home tends to be much faster. Today, the Lord gives us a very loving opportunity to stop for a moment, take a step back, and have a good look at how we are living our lives.

For the Israelites, according to what the Word of the Lord reports in the Book of Exodus, they seemed to be permanently miserable and complaining against God and the leaders God sent them. In Egypt they were fed up with their slavery and drudgery under harsh conditions at the brutal hands of Pharaoh’s officers. As God inflicted plagues on Egypt because of Pharaoh’s obstinate refusal to let God’s people go, the Hebrews complained against Moses that their lives were being made even harsher by Pharaoh and his officers.

When finally, Pharaoh let them go, they were at first delighted, but they soon woke up to the harsh reality of life on the road and in the wilderness; so, once again they complained long and loud to God and against Moses and Aaron.

In Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed, Jesus uses what was a very familiar image for the people to help them understand how important it is to pay attention to the quality of the soil so that it can be well prepared to receive the seed. How we feel about the circumstances of our lives and how we choose to react and to relate to God, our spouse, our family, and others has a lot to do with the quality of our soil, of our soul, mind, heart, and body.

We cultivate our life by our labor, especially at the service of others, and manual work is very healthy. We care for the body by nourishing it properly and preparing it well for sleep. We relax the body by refreshing it in a bath or shower and with relaxing music. We revive our body as well as our soul by taking contemplative walks even barefoot in the beauty of nature, and feel that we are also God’s creatures. Natural beauty lifts our spirits and expands our horizons.

We allow our Creator God to refresh our soul by turning to the Father with expectation, by becoming receptive to the inspiration, promptings, and guidance of the Holy Spirit, who draws our attention to Jesus, the Beloved of our souls. Prayer is not a duty or task, but an act of love.

O my Jesus, I trust in You. Mother Mary, pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us.

We give praise to You, O God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC