Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels. God continues to send his angels to watch over and guide us and defend us from the demons who seek our destruction. - Wednesday in the 26th Week in Ordinary Time, Sept 29th, 2021 - S + L Mass at MQW Cathedral downtown Montreal

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There is no sponsor today for this Holy Mass.

Sign of the + Cross                 Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

Good Morning. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…. Brothers and Sisters, today we venerate the 3 Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael who were sent by God to help us, as we celebrate the Holy Eucharist in this cathedral dedicated to Mary Queen of the World.  

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 

Please support this Live Daily Mass through your daily prayers, Mass intentions, and donations to the Cathedral and to Salt + Light Media. We are especially in need of generous sponsors.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.              Blessing and Dismissal 

The Archangels by Marco d'Oggiono (Public Domain) via Wikipedia Commons 
View at Divine Office: https://divineoffice.org/?date=20210929&unique=1632922982.81

HOMILY

The heart of our human drama is what we suffer because of the impression that we are far away from God. This is actually an illusion caused by the damage done to our mind, heart, and spirit at the dawn of humanity when Satan the Accuser, the Devil and Adversary of God lied to our first human mother Eve and her companion and husband Adam, and they believed the lie.

This tragic and dramatic deception originated in Heaven, in the eternal Presence of the Most Holy Trinity; when Lucifer, the most luminous and beautiful angel, rebelled against God. He refused to be among those who would bow down and worship a human being not yet born. This man was destined by the Father to be the human life to be taken on by the Son of God later in time when the Virgin would conceive by the Holy Spirit. She was to call her son Jesus, a Hebrew name which means “God saves”. Other angels also rebelled and became demons.

The moment we human beings stopped trusting in God, we cut ourselves off, and the first effect was our feeling isolated and far from God. It is an illusion because it is impossible to run or hide from God. God existed before the Universe came into being; so, there is no place that can exist separately from God. However, to respect our freedom, God has made it possible for us, if we choose, to join with the demons and exist separately from God, in complete darkness and cold away from the light and warmth of his love and mercy. This is called hell. 

God does not desire the destruction of any of his creatures, which is why demons continue to exist. They are fallen angels who refuse to cooperate with the Creator God’s plan to give life and salvation to all of his creatures. They refuse to obey or to serve. Nevertheless, in spite of the demons’ rebellion, God’s power is so great that the Most Holy Trinity actually arranges for the trouble making activity of the demons to serve God’s greater purpose anyway. God also continues to send his angels to watch over and guide us. Let us be attentive and follow them.

At every moment that demons tempt or confuse us or lead us astray, the Holy Spirit makes these dark moments into opportunities for us to break the rebellion and, instead of turning away from God, to go in the opposite direction and turn directly towards God. In other words, God is making the demons’ trouble making activity into reminders for us to put all of our trust in God.

That is actually why we can rejoice and be glad in every trial and tribulation, in every temptation and even in sin, because all these experiences remind us how weak we are and in need of God’s mercy, forgiveness, and love. So, go to Confession and meet Jesus face to face.

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

        Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, Saint Raphael, pray for us. 

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

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https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com

© 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

Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, is our Mother; like Jesus, she cares for each of us and all that we experience. - Wednesday in the 24th Week in Ordinary Time, Sept 15th, 2021 - S + L Mass at MQW Cathedral downtown Montreal

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Our Lady of Sorrows 

Today there is no sponsor for this Holy Mass.

Sign of the + Cross

Good Morning. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…. Brothers and Sisters, today we venerate Mary who, in sharing Jesus’ Passion became Our Lady of Sorrows, as we celebrate the Holy Eucharist in this cathedral dedicated to Mary as Queen of the World.  

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

Please support this Live Daily Mass through your daily prayers, Mass intentions, and donations to the Cathedral and to Salt + Light Media. We are especially in need of generous sponsors. 

Tonight we have a wonderful opportunity to be in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters who will begin to celebrate "Yom Kippur", the "Day of Atonement", through prayer, fasting, and penance, calling upon the Lord for forgiveness for their sins. 

The original Day of Atonement came when the people of Israel repented of having built and worshipped a golden calf and Moses pleaded to the Lord to forgive them. Then Moses instructed them to build the "Tabernacle", the "Ark of the Covenant", the visible witness to God's covenant with his people and in which were deposited the stone tablets of "The Torah", "The Law". 

Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, is a Jewess, a daughter of Israel, and her sorrow is the same as that of God and his people over our sinfulness, and Mary intercedes for us with God for his mercy and forgiveness, and she calls upon all of us to repent of our sins, to fast and do penance, to pray to God, to offer sacrifices for sinners, and to adore the Lord our God.  

Saint Joseph, pray for us. Blessing and Dismissal 

HOMILY

We who are members of the living mystical Body of Christ have been made his members by the Lord Jesus through Baptism, and by believing in Him, He has made us children of God our Father. In his unlimited generosity, the Lord Jesus has also given his Mother Mary to us as our own heavenly Mother. This bequest or inheritance was one of Jesus’ final acts on this Earth as He agonized on the Cross and shed every drop of his precious life’s Blood.

Mary is the first human being, after Jesus, to be so completely taken into the intimate life, love, and communion of the Most Holy Trinity. She has been loved from all eternity by the Father as his own special daughter. She was chosen by the Father to be the Mother of his only begotten Son and she was instructed by the Archangel Gabriel to name God’s Son "Yeshua", Jesus, “God saves”. The moment Mary said “Yes!” to God when she replied to Gabriel, “Let it be done to me as you say.”, she became the chosen Spouse of the Holy Spirit, who overshadowed her in a mysterious way and brought about the Incarnation of the Son of God within her womb.

Mary is our own Mother because she is the Mother of Jesus who became our brother when the Son of God became man. Mary is our own Mother a second time because Jesus entrusted her to his Apostle John and John to her as her son. In declaring this as part of his last will and testament, Jesus intended Mary to become the Mother of us all, and for all of us to love her, care for her, honor her, and listen to her as our very own heavenly Mother.

Mary is our very own Mother a third time because we who believe in Jesus and have been baptized in the Most Holy Trinity are living members of the mystical Body of Christ that is the communion of saints. At this very moment, Mary weeps over our sins and sufferings as she did over the Passion of her divine Son Jesus. Mary, like Jesus, takes to heart everything that happens to us, and to every human being.

In every generation humanity gets into a great deal of trouble because of its separation from the love of God: rebellion, sin. With great compassion for us, God the Most Holy Trinity has repeatedly sent Mary to Earth to bring the message and call to repent, turn away from sin, trust in God, pray, fast, do penance, offer sacrifices for sinners, and care for the poor. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Fatima.... Mary even makes her statues weep human tears and tears of blood to get the attention of humanity. Our time is short. 

We human beings, for the most part, have turned away from God. Like ungrateful people in Jesus’ parable, we turn down the invitation to the wedding banquet. The wedding banquet is real… it is the eternal life in heaven happening right now… and the wedding is the marriage of God with humanity in the Person of Jesus, who is both God and man. Every day God eagerly waits for us to accept his marriage proposal, his invitation to love Him and our neighbour as ourselves. 

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

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

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com 

© 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

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

  Gospel & Homily MP3 version                     Homily PDF version 

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 

We beg you to please support this Live Daily Mass through your daily prayers, Mass intentions, and donations to the Cathedral and to Salt + Light Media.

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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https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com

 

© 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

We can be arrogant and contemptuous towards God when we don't understand. God asks us to trust in his plans for us. - Wednesday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time, July 7th, 2021 - S + L Mass at MQW Cathedral downtown Montreal

 Gospel & Homily MP3 version                     Homily PDF version 

☝ This Wednesday's homily is here now 👆

Sign of the + Cross                

Like the disciples walking on the road to Emmaus on the first Easter Sunday, we often also don't understand what God is doing. At such times we can question God, even show Him contempt.

(Good Morning. There is no sponsor today for this Mass. We know that televised Masses are expensive, but it is for a good cause. So, we invite all good Catholic families to discuss it and consider sponsoring a televised Mass. Simply contact Salt + Light Media. Thank you.)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…. Brothers and Sisters, it’s always a privilege and a pleasure for us to celebrate the Holy Eucharist with you in this wonderful cathedral. We give thanks to God for the world’s progress in our collective battle against 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 

We thank you for supporting this Live Daily Mass through your daily prayers, Mass intentions, and donations to the Cathedral and to Salt + Light Media. 

Saint Joseph, pray for us.              Blessing and Dismissal

HOMILY

Jesus instructed his 12 apostles to “go nowhere among the Gentiles” or Samaritans, but only “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Now, we might wonder why Jesus imposed this limitation, or why He excluded people who weren’t Jews. This is a good example of the many ways in which we question God and complain to the Lord when we don’t understand what God is doing in our lives, in our families, in the Church, or in the world.

The simple reason for Jesus’ instructions was that God is faithful to his people and He keeps his promises. For millennia God had promised his people that He would send a Saviour and Jesus was the Father’s fulfillment of his promises. You see, even God has a list of priorities. With God, all good things will come to pass, but each good thing comes in its proper time. We don’t like that. In our human weakness, we want everything NOW. “God give me patience, and I want You to give it to me NOW!”

It doesn’t take too much intelligence to see how defective and deficient we are in our ways of relating to Almighty God. We can be quite impatient, arrogant, proud, and contemptuous towards God, our Creator, the One from whom we receive life and all good things here on Earth but also in eternity. The Lord shows us today one way in which his plans bring about the best outcome; even though from our human point of view we see only trouble and disaster. It’s the story of how Joseph, son of Jacob, was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers.

God gave Jacob the name Israel because he was strong with the Lord and also with people. At the time of this drama, he had eleven sons and the youngest, Joseph, was his favorite. His ten brothers became jealous; so, one day they decided to kill him. Reuben persuaded his brothers not to harm him. They put Joseph in a well and later, when a caravan came by, Judah got the bright idea to sell Joseph into slavery. They lied and told their father that Joseph was killed by a wild beast. They regretted their foul deed when they saw their father’s profound grief.

Joseph became a prisoner in Egypt, but God enabled him to interpret dreams. He was the only one able to interpret Pharaoh’s dream; so, he appointed Joseph manager of Egypt. Joseph advised Pharaoh to store grain in the years of plenty. When years of famine came, Egypt sold grain to the people of the Mediterranean world suffering from famine. Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain and in time the brothers were reconciled and their clan moved to Egypt.

We often don’t understand what God is doing, but we don’t need to understand. God only asks us to put our trust in Him and to live in patient anticipation of the unfolding of his plans.

O my Jesus, I trust in You. Oratory statue: “Go to Joseph.” Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Glory be to God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com         https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com 

 

© 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

Like John the Baptist, God is with us to prepare the way for Jesus to touch other people's lives through us. - Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, June 24th, 2021 - S + L Mass at MQW Cathedral downtown Montreal

 Gospel & Homily MP3 version                     Homily PDF version        

Sign of the + Cross            The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

(no sponsor today Good Morning. Today this Holy Mass is being offered for:       by: )

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…. Brothers and Sisters, it’s always a privilege and a pleasure for us to celebrate the Holy Eucharist in this wonderful church, and especially today, when we celebrate the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist; who is truly an image for all of us of our own vocation to prepare the way for the Lord.

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

 

HOMILY

 

Brothers and sisters, this solemn feast is important for those of us who live in Québec. It is a patronal feast, and for a long time the people of Québec saw John the Baptist as an icon or image or symbol of our own vocation. This continues to be true for all Christians. In a sense we are all blessed by God – God is with us from the moment of our conception – all through our growing up years God is attending to us, caring for us, loving us, and yet leaving us free.

This is part of the great gift God has given to us, not only that we are a unique individual, blessed with life, but in addition; that we have free will. This means that we often feel transparent, naked, alone, abandoned…. It is not a curse; it is the great dignity of the gift given to us of our individual life. Not only is John the Baptist a recollection or remembrance of who we are called to be, to walk this Earth preparing the way of the Lord, to touch other lives, but in addition, Jesus Himself is an icon of the great gift given to us.

Through our Baptism we are all sons and daughters of God. That means that God Himself in his great power is ever ready to work through us, within us and through us, to bless other people; even to make miracles. If only we take the focus of our attention off of ourselves, and cease being obsessed with ourselves and overly self-conscious, and walk as Mary, Joseph, and all the saints did: our eyes totally focused towards the Lord and giving Him all our trust and faith.

O my Jesus, I trust in You.

 Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

 In the Name of the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.  

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Prayer after Communion                                    Announcement

 

I originally wanted to be ordained on this day, but of course it’s too busy a day for the Archbishop; so, I was ordained a week later 38 years ago (on July 2^nd).

 

Saint Joseph, pray for us.              Blessing and Dismissal

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com

 

© 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

Jesus fulfills the covenant God made with Abram by accepting to die for our infidelities. - Wednesday in the 12th Week of Ordinary Time, June 23rd, 2021 - S + L Mass at MQW Cathedral downtown Montreal

     Homily MP3 version                     Homily PDF version        

Sign of the + Cross                        

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

Thank you for your support. We are reminded today that rather than punish us for our sin and infidelities, Jesus has volunteered to stand in our place and endure the punishment we deserve. During this Live Daily Mass, we offer to God our personal intentions, those of his Church, and the intentions of all of humanity. We especially pray for all native and indigenous peoples.

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 

We thank you for supporting this Live Daily Mass through your daily prayers, Mass intentions, and donations to the Cathedral and to Salt + Light Media. 

Saint Joseph, pray for us.              Blessing and Dismissal

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HOMILY

Our God is strange… a better word is mysterious. Our Creator God is very mysterious. His ways are not our ways. We can come to know his ways, but it is likely that we will never quite fully understand the ways of the Lord. Still, we can know his ways enough to do his will. It was the very same situation with the patriarch Abram whom the Lord called to leave his home at Ur of the Chaldees in what is today Iraq in order to lead him to the land He promised him.

Talk about strange! What do you make of the strange ritual God told Abram to do by killing and cutting in two a heifer, a goat, and a ram, along with a turtle dove and young pigeon? Well, I wouldn’t know either if I had not learned about it in the Seminary.

You see, at that time and in those lands and cultures, their societies were divided into two parts, much like it is today, only then it was much clearer. The world was ruled by those who were rich and powerful, and the rest of the population was governed by these rulers. Now, when someone wanted a special favor or position or loan from a ruler, the ruler would require them to go through this ritual, but not the way God did it with Abram.

In such a ritual, the ruler makes a contract by making the person walk in between the pieces and say “In return for the favor I seek from you, I will give you obedience, loyalty, and the tax. If I fail to keep my part of the agreement, you will do to me as you did to these animals.” This is how infidelity on the part of the poor was punishable by death; by being cut in two.

So, you see how different are the Lord and his ways from the ways of this world? God made covenant with Abram by taking Abram’s place in the ritual promise punishable by death; God in the fire took Abram’s place and passed between the two parts of the animals cut in two. In the covenant God made with Abram, the Lord made the deadly promise, not Abram: “If either of us breaks our covenant, I your God will suffer death and be cut off and separated from life.”

The end result of all our infidelities and disobedience to God, from the time of Abram until the time of Moses, the judges, the prophets, and the kings of Israel, down through the centuries until the coming into the world of the Son of God and beyond Him to our day and beyond us to the end of time; the end result of all of humanity’s sinful contempt for God is that Jesus, the Son of God, the son of Mary, accepted to suffer the punishment of death and was cut off from life. Lord Jesus, teach us to be grateful for your sacrifice to pay for our collective and personal sins.

Lord Jesus, grant us eternal life by giving us the grace to know and love You and the Father in Heaven, and fill us with your Holy Spirit who gives us to understand your ways, Jesus, only-begotten Son of the Father, our Lord on Earth and in Heaven; may You welcome us into your eternal home with the Father and the Holy Spirit and all the saints at the end of our lives.  

In the Name of the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.  

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com

 

© 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

As disciples of Jesus we are to do everything for love of God and our neighbor, not for personal gain. - Wednesday in the 11th Week of Ordinary Time, June 16th, 2021 - S + L Mass at MQW Cathedral downtown Montreal

    Gospel & Homily MP3 version                     Homily PDF version        

Sign of the + Cross                        

    Good Morning. There is no sponsor for this Mass today. 

Thank you for your support. The Lord reminds us that He loves a cheerful giver. The more we are generous to the poor, those in need, and for his works of mercy, the more the Lord will provide so we can continue being generous. During this Live Daily Mass, we offer to the Father our personal intentions and those of his Church.

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

HOMILY

There are some who misunderstand the Word of the Lord to say that if we follow the rules and commandments; God will bless us with prosperity and success. If uncertain of what the Word of God means, we need only look to the example of Jesus to see the will of God in action.

Jesus did not have any money at all. He entrusted the common purse for Himself and his disciples to Judas. Unfortunately, Judas was weak and helped himself to some of that money. With regard to that common purse, Jesus gave the priority to helping the poor and others in need. As for Himself and his Apostles, they were really like mendicants, which means that they begged or relied on the generosity of the people they served to share with them food and lodging. They often slept under the stars and got water from public wells and streams.

We are not all called to live as beggars, like many religious women and men who belong to communities that rely on the generosity of the people they serve. However, what is abundantly clear is that our Creator God has filled Planet Earth – on land, sea, and in the air – with great abundance of life, food, and resources. There is no doubt that our Creator God intends for all these resources to be there for everyone to enjoy equally. Sadly, because of the original sin, fear and insecurity, and greed, far too many human beings set out to acquire far more than they need to live simply, in security, peace, health, and comfort.

Jesus makes it abundantly clear that whatever we do – whenever we give alms to assist the poor, whenever we pray, and whenever we fast; we should do it for God’s eyes alone. When we do good things our of authentic, heartfelt love for God and for our neighbors, and even for our enemies and those who are especially difficult to love; then we can be certain that our works of love and mercy will benefit both those who receive our care and also ourselves. Our spirit, our whole person becomes more like God when we live as children of God.

Whenever we take care to keep our almsgiving, prayer, and fasting secret; then we avoid the praise, admiration, and congratulations of others, and our true reward is the gratitude of those who are helped and the love and approval of Almighty God, the Most Holy Trinity.

(Spontaneous departure from my prepared text)

You notice this morning that I have a kind of  weakness in my voice; well, we all have strengths and weaknesses, and it causes me to think that there may be men out there the Lord is calling to the priesthood but who are resisting, and whenever we resist, it is because we focus too much on ourselves and we don't accept the grace of the fear of the Lord; which means to put our trust and confidence in God alone. 

(Added comment: "Looking back on my whole life of 72 years, and in particular on the almost 38 years of life and service to the Lord and his people as one of Jesus' many priests; my overwhelming thought and feeling is: 

"What a wonderful life and path! It is truly awesome to be entrusted by the Holy Spirit with glimpses into the minds, hearts, souls, and lives of other human beings whenever they open themselves to Jesus in the confidential moment and encounter with the Lord Jesus in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, in Confession. 

"How awesome and beyond understanding to know that Jesus Himself entrusts me with his own authority to say again his own words at the Last Supper; that He may once again be truly present in his risen flesh in the Bread and Wine of the Holy Eucharist and give Himself once again for food to eternal life to all who come to Him today. 

"As a mother gives of herself as food to her infant at her breast; so too does Jesus give a transfusion of his divine life to all who receive Him in Holy Communion. The wonders of such an intimate sharing in the life, mystery, and priesthood of the Lord Jesus is beyond words to tell. How could any man whom the Lord is calling not want to put his trust in the Lord Jesus, in the Most Holy Trinity, and respond to the call deep in his heart and soul as the prophet Isaiah: "Here I am, Lord!"

"Be not afraid, O little man, and take the spotlight of attention and worry off of  your poor self, and rather turn the spotlight of your attention onto the Lord Jesus, who remains for eternity to be seen in his pitiful passion, haning on the Cross; yet glorious at this very moment at the right hand of his Father in Heaven. He alone in the universe has the power of God to give life where He will in union with his Father and the Holy Spirit. Since He has power to create the universe and keep it in existence, and demonstrated his power by calming the storm on the sea and in so many other wonderful works; so too can He make of you one of his poor, humble, and blessed priests. 

"O my Jesus, I trust in You." )

Father in Heaven, fill us with your Holy Spirit and make us more and more like Jesus, your only-begotten Son, our Lord here on Earth; so that You may be pleased to welcome us into your eternal home at the end of our lives.  

In the Name of the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

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Prayer after Communion                                    Announcement 

We thank you for supporting this Live Daily Mass through your daily prayers, Mass intentions, and donations to the Cathedral and to Salt + Light Media.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.              Blessing and Dismissal

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com

 

© 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