God patiently waits for us to open our minds, hearts, and spirits to Him and to our neighbour. - Wednesday in the 6th Week of Easter, May 25th, 2022 - S + L Mass at MQW Cathedral downtown Montreal

6th Week of Easter

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

Sign of the + Cross

“Christ is risen, alleluia!” The ancient response is “He is truly risen, alleluia!”

Good morning. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ….

This Mass is offered (by)                                                           (for)

We stand in solidarity with all who suffer for countless reasons all over the world.

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

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  Gospel & Homily - MP3 version             Homily PDF version 

HOMILY

Saint Paul’s short sermon to the Athenians is a wonderfully clear and concise teaching about the history of God’s work of creation and salvation and perhaps the best summary that we can find. God created all that exists in the universe and He gives life and breath to all living things, including us. The world is the place God has given us to live out our lives, and He has given us the freedom with which to search for Him. God offers us his love and friendship.

Human beings in all human cultures and nations are inclined to make images and statues to try to make visible our Creator, but these are mostly fictitious images made according to our own imaginations. God did not leave humanity in ignorance but made men and women prophets to perceive his will and to give their testimony to the rest of society. In the fullness of time, God’s own divine Son took human flesh in the womb of Mary, his Mother, and He made visible in Himself the goodness, love, and mercy of his Eternal Father. Because Jesus was so good, we could not endure Him; so, we killed Him, but the Father raised him up from the dead.

We will all meet our Creator God, our Lord and Saviour, face to face at the end of our lives. In that moment, we will see our whole lives replayed before our eyes, and we will finally know the whole truth about ourselves, about others, and about God. If, during this life on Earth, we have treated God with doubt, suspicion, or contempt; then, that moment of truth will feel like a harsh judgement, but it will be our own fault. On the other hand, if we approach God humbly and with docility and trust; then, that encounter will be a moment of great joy and consolation.

The ways of the Lord are made wonderfully manifest in this episode with Saint Paul. We see how some people scoffed – ridiculing the apostle – while others wanted to hear more. They were docile to the Holy Spirit who began to enlighten their minds, hearts, and spirits.

 “O my Jesus, I trust in You. Immaculate Mother Mary, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. We give praise to You, O God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

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Prayer after Communion                                    Closing

“Lord, may all that we suffer break open our hard hearts; then, fill us with your Holy Spirit, so that we may learn to obey and love like Jesus your Son, Mary and Joseph, and all the saints.

Mother Mary, pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us.   

“Christ is risen, alleluia!” “He is truly risen, alleluia!”           Blessing and Dismissal

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com

 

© 2006-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC

Jesus was one with the Father - we are called to ponder the Word and Action of God as Mary did. - Wednesday in the 4th Week of Easter, May 11th, 2022 - S + L Mass at MQW Cathedral downtown Montreal

4th Week of Easter

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

Sign of the + Cross

“Christ is risen, alleluia!” The ancient response is “He is truly risen, alleluia!”

Good morning. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ….

This Mass is offered for Alisha... and also for all those suffering from the war in Ukraine and all conflicts on Earth and due to all other troubles.... 

We stand in solidarity with all who suffer for countless reasons all over the world.

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

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     Gospel & Homily - MP3 version             Homily PDF version 

HOMILY

God weeps in Ukraine. Though risen from the dead, Jesus is as fully human as we ourselves are. On Earth, He did not know the future any more than we do. Jesus told the disciples, and He tells us, not to be concerned about the end of the world because only the Father knows when it will be. What we do know for certain is that our own life will definitely come to an end.

We are witnesses to the testimony of the Acts of the Apostles of which we just heard a brief episode. As it was in those days; so is it in our own day. Some believe in Jesus and accept him, but others do not. As a man, Jesus Himself needed to cling to the will of his Father in heaven. We are called to do the same. How are we doing these days in our relationship of faith in God?

We grow in faith the same way that we grow in body. When we enjoy our daily meals, we eat only as much as we can safely enjoy and digest. Food enables our body to replenish itself by restoring cells and producing new ones. It is the same for our life in the spirit. We hunger and thirst for God; each day we eat spiritual meals by hearing and pondering the Word of God. 

The Gospel tells us that Mary constantly pondered the wonders which God was doing in her life, in Joseph’s life, and in the life of her son Jesus, who was also the Son of God. Mary often did not fully understand what God was doing; she needed to ponder these things until her spirit could receive the light only God gives. We need to do the same. It isn’t enough to quickly hear the Word of God and then just get back to our daily routine. The work we do in and out of our home is good. Through our work we participate in God’s ongoing creation of the universe.

At the same time, we need to ponder God’s words and the things Jesus did. We need to accept God’s words as true and ponder his actions as a pregnant woman carries a child; until the new life God is creating in us is fully grown and ready to be visibly manifest in the world.

 “O my Jesus, I trust in You. Immaculate Mother Mary, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. We give praise to You, O God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

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Prayer after Communion                                    Closing

“Lord, may all that we suffer break open our hard hearts; then, fill us with your Holy Spirit, so that we might love in word and deed like Jesus your Son, Mary our Mother, and all the saints.

Mother Mary, pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us.   

“Christ is risen, alleluia!” “He is truly risen, alleluia!”           Blessing and Dismissal

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com

 

© 2006-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC