Author: AnishinabeSC

Praying with our readings of this Sunday, I was at first glance struck by the moralistic tone, even a warning, which can be sensed in God’s word: the brevity of our human lives; the ultimate futility of our efforts; the folly of selfishness. They are good passages to hear in those times when I am, perhaps, working too diligently toward a goal, or I am overly consumed with the completion of a project, or I am unjustifiably confident that I have everything together, not overlooking a thing. Certainly, in situations such as these, it is good to hear a word of God that shakes things up a bit, wakes me from the slumber of self-centredness.

Yet, upon some reflection, it is not those moral teachings which stay with me, but rather, a greater awareness of the work of God, borne from love, in every corner of creation. God’s loving eyes are certainly focused on each and every one of us, at all times and all places. However, God’s gaze is much wider than we can even imagine, looking upon every creature, every plant, every rock, with a plan and intent for everything, such that all things God creates may come to be what they have been made to become.

In shortsightedness, I may see a grain of wheat as having been created to belong in a silo. Or, perhaps, I may assume that I was created to fulfill my own, self-organized destiny. But what is God’s plan? It will always be a bit of a mystery, yet pursuing that never-ending story will always bring freedom and joy.

The readings of today invite us to pause and take a moment of reflection, to look all around at the awesomeness of God’s creation before us: the beauty of earth, the water, and the sky; the intricate wonders of plant and animal life; the mysterious depths of human beings (even one’s own self); the amazing complexity of community. Then, a further reflection: what is God’s invitation today, this moment, of willing surrender to God’s loving work, for my own freedom, and for the freedom of another? These scriptures invite us to gratitude, of God who is working diligently, not overlooking a single thing, certainly never overlooking any of us, furthering the completion, the fulfillment, the reconciliation of all things in Godself.

– Fr. Gerry McDougall, SJ

“Are you a Martha or a Mary”

Fr. Paul asked me to do a reflection last week, but I have been busy with Nokomis time, being with grandchildren in their activities. I was enjoying being their cheerleader with sports, in particular hockey and softball. I replied I can do it next week, and I was so surprised with the scripture readings for today. As I have been known to say, I am a Martha. I feel I am the one who says yes to things that need to be done, when no one else jumps up to volunteer. This behavior creates the feeling of resentfulness toward the others for not saying yes.

Martha in today’s gospel is so busy with the details of looking after a household and its chores. Jesus appears at their home and Mary decides to sit at the Lord’s feet and listen to what he is saying, while Martha slaves over other tasks.

 Are we prepared to drop everything for God? Do we take the time to attend mass, and enjoy the fellowship of being together for prayer as Mary did? Or are we anxious about the day’s events or activities and wanting to make sure everything is taken care of. 

The first reading has Abraham being a host and doing it with a loving heart, and guests appreciating his generous gift of food and his serving and his company.  As the guests were leaving, one of the guests turns around to ask “Where is your wife, Sarah?” Abraham said “There in the tent”. This couple was given a blessing by that guest when he said “I will surely return to you in due season and your wife Sarah shall have a son”. There are times when people bless us with good fortune for the kindness we have demonstrated. The individuals feel loved and go away happy. Goodness is returned tenfold when we least expect it.   

We can be a Martha or a Mary, we have a choice.

– Margaret (Tish) Manitowabi

      Jesus answered a lawyer’s question, “Who is my neighbour?”, not by giving an elaborate definition, but by telling a self-explanatory, famous parable about a good Samaritan.

      The lesson and the implications of that story are always relevant. Encountering, suddenly, a person in dire need is both a challenge and an opportunity. In order to pass the test of compassion and mercy, it is necessary to set aside any biases, to not exaggerate the importance of my own plans and schedules, and to avoid a moral judgment. However, in real life situations, a certain dose of discernment has to be applied, to make sure that the presented case is not a fake one. The guiding principle should be that it is better to be on the over-generous side (as the good Samaritan was) than to regret a stinginess afterwards. Let us pray to God for the grace to remain joyful while providing comfort and mercy to our anonymous neighbours.

     The satisfaction of reaching out to others in need deepens our self-esteem (love of ourselves), and also deepens the understanding that we are all children of God, whom we have been trying to love with all our hearts, soul, and strength.

– Fr. Toni Baranowski, SJ

This Friday, July 11, we celebrate the feast (or memorial) of St. Benedict. He was born in the year 480 in Italy. You could say that he was a hermit and then a monk, where a hermit lives alone and a monk lives in community. He founded monasteries and wrote the Rule of Saint Benedict. Today there are two branches: the Benedictine Federation which includes the men and women of the Order of St. Benedict; and the Cistercians, men and women of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance.

Benedict’s Rule contains wisdom that still applies today; and there is something there not only for monastic men and women, but for all of us. “The Rule of St. Benedict recognises that people aim at perfection but often fall well short of it, and aims to be a ‘rule for beginners’ in which even the least perfect and least able can grow in spiritual stature. To visit a Benedictine monastery of almost any kind is to find oneself spending time among a group of people who, by their strivings to live and grow together, have become more and more themselves, as God intended them, instead of being crushed into false uniformity.” (Source: https://universalis.com/20250711/today.htm)

– Fr. Paul Robson, SJ

God is mystery. So are all the workings of God – as he himself points out to Job. That does not mean they are unexplainable, but rather that no explanation or series of explanations can finally exhaust or complete our understanding on the subject.

In Proverbs today, we are presented with a mystery. Wisdom personified and made essentially co-equal with God. Existing before everything else and responsible, together with God and to his delight, for everything else that exists. This is why the tradition of faith has identified Wisdom with the Word, who is given the same treatment at the opening of St. John’s Gospel. Likewise with the Spirit of God who hovers over the face of the primordial waters in the opening verses of Genesis/the whole Bible. Both the Word/Wisdom and the Spirit are identified as God, even though God is also presented throughout Scripture as One.

St. Paul illustrates how this plays out in the life of believers, in the excerpt we read from his letter to the Romans. That is, because Jesus himself (who is the Word) has shared in the glory of God and yet also shares in our humanity, through him we become capable of receiving the Spirit of God. This enables us to conform ourselves more and more to Christ so that we too may be made worthy to share in that same glory of God. That is, to share in the fullness of his life, of his presence – as we were meant to from the foundations of the world, but which had been ruptured by our first parents as well as by ourselves.

Jesus gives us some indication of the mysterious interplay and relations between these Persons of God with each other and with us. And we are given assurance by Christ, that though we may not be able to bear the full mystery of God now, we will be guided there, if only we hold fast to that Spirit who has been given to us, that love poured out into our hearts that dares to cry out to God as our Father.

– Aaron Neiva

All my life, I have taken Heaven for granted. Being raised in a Catholic family, and community, I was informed early on about the existence, possibility, and hope of Heaven, the meaning, purpose, and goal of my life. The meaning of life is, for us Catholic Christians, to experience the love and joy of God now, and eternally. The purpose of life is to “get to” Heaven.

Today, as we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus Christ, we celebrate his eternal entrance into Heaven. Jesus, who came to earth from Heaven, in the Incarnation, returned there, after dying, and rising to new life, the life of the Resurrection. From our point of view, he made a kind of “re-entry” into Heaven, revealing a mystery of the God of Jesus Christ that will always perplex humanity. But for his disciples who first observed this, as described in both the Gospel of Luke, and in the Acts of the Apostles, his ascending upward signalled a new possibility, for them and for humanity, both extremely joyful, and somewhat frightening. It showed them that life has a meaning that goes beyond the limits of created being. It showed them that the purpose of their lives, amid all of the limitations, disappointments, sufferings and tribulations which they often experienced, was actually the eternal joy of Heaven.

The Ascension of Jesus, vertically upward to Heaven, also presents us with a mystery that is revealed on a more horizontal plane, in the time and space of human life which we experience. For in our coming to know God in our lives, through the uncountable ways we encounter God, Jesus Christ, we discover the mysterious, yet certain and deeply affirming call of God, the call of Jesus Christ, to go out to others and bring them the Good News. In a way, responding to the call of Jesus, our being sent by him, is how we “get to” Heaven. To deepen that mystery, our response to the call of Christ is his way of  calling to others, his way of showing others that the meaning of their lives is to experience the love and joy of God. Jesus sends us to show others the way to Heaven, now, and for eternity.

The Holy Spirit of God, of Jesus Christ, calls us and sends us forward. Today we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord. Next Sunday we celebrate and rejoice that he gives us his Spirit, to be with us always.

– Fr. Gerry McDougall, SJ

   Before departing from his disciples, Jesus promised to leave them with peace. This peace would be achieved through keeping His words, which not only means assimilating His teaching, but primarily involves emulating His love in constantly evolving circumstances. The disciples would be assisted by the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit.

   Circumcision was a very divisive issue in the early church. Fortunately, under the leadership of the Apostles, and no doubt with inspiration from above, it was decided not to burden non-Jewish catechumens with a requirement that was totally foreign to them. Thus, the door for the universal outreach of Christianity was opened wide.

   The newly elected Pope Leo XIV, in his welcoming speech, appealed for peace several times. He will have to face more tensions in the contemporary Catholic church than Paul and Barnabas did 20 centuries ago, since the much more complex world provides more agendas to deal with. Let us then pray for him and his many advisors, that they might be able to discern the will of the Holy Spirit in important decisions and to enjoy Christ’s peace after their implementation.

– Fr. Toni Baranowski, SJ

The time had come, Jesus had spent so much time teaching the disciples, revealing his Father to them, and preparing them to take his message of salvation to the world.  But this was his last night on earth, and he wanted to make his final words to them count.  And he did that by distilling all his wisdom and revelation down into just one ‘new commandment’.

Love one another.  First Jesus teaches us to love without expecting anything in return. When Jesus washes his disciples’ feet, it is not in the hopes that they will return the favor.  There is no greater proof of God’s love for us than the Cross of Jesus Christ.  In the cross we see a new way of love, a love that is selfless, forgiving and compassionate beyond comprehension.  Jesus commands us, his disciples, to love one another just as he has loved us.  How can we love one another selflessly and with compassion?

Through the victory of the cross and resurrection, we have access to God’s grace and mercy.  God gives us new life through the gift of the Holy Spirit, and he fills our hearts with faith, hope and love.  Paul the apostle reminds us that ‘God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.’  As we turn to God with trust and obedience, he transforms our hearts and frees us to love others with compassion and kindness.  Do you want to bring glory to God in the way you love others?

Jesus devoted himself to teaching us how to live together in love. He knew that everything he said and did contributed to this goal.  He longed to pull down all the dividing walls that kept us from treating each other as brothers and sisters created out of love by the same heavenly Father.  And now he was about to break the biggest dividing wall: the power of sin.

And now, he would go so far as to offer his own life on the cross to set us free.  This is how he loved us: by laying down his life us.  And this is how he wants us to love each other, by pouring ourselves out in love for one another.

He is still with us to shower his love on us and to help us love one another in return.  So let’s turn to him and receive that love.  Let’s fulfil his new commandment!

– Shirley Shigwadja

Vocation Sunday

Our prayer life is enriched this week by the occasion of Mother’s Day and Vocation Sunday. All of this is in the week of what has traditionally been called “Good Shepherd Sunday.”

Remarkably, the Gospel, in particular, is very brief. In it Jesus promises two things; eternal life to his flock, also sureness and certainty of to whom we belong. “I give eternal life, and…no one can take (my sheep) out of my hand.” Then Jesus backs up those promises with this: “The Father has given them to me…. the Father and I are one.”

Jesus had shown that he has power over death. He raised a young man to life (Lk 7:14-15). He also raised his friend Lazarus back to life (Jn 11:43). However, Jesus’ power over death was not his alone. For example, Jesus could not raise himself to life. His resurrection came through the power of the Holy Trinity: Father-Son-Spirit (Acts 2:32, and Rom 8:11).

Today we lift up and pray for our mothers, whose power to give life and nurture it in us comes also from God. We also lift up and pray for all who are called to serve with love that is self-sacrificing — in our Church, and in our families, and in our communities at large. We pray for all who make choices to spend their lives serving in spiritual works, child care, teaching, health care, civic leadership, and many other such works. In other words, we pray for all who answer a call to the vocations of leadership in their families, and in all the professions that are at the service of life.

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we are reminded of how great is our hope and how much we have to be grateful for. We are reminded that God is the source and power behind all of life and behind all who serve our life. We are reminded of the mystery of life that is channeled through our Mothers. We are reminded also to encourage all who are gifted with life-giving and life-saving talents to commit themselves to always using their talents and resources in answer to God’s call to self-sacrifice and service of others.

– Fr. Mark Hoelsken, SJ

The book The Name of God is Mercy, published in 2016, presents a conversation between Pope Francis and journalist Andrea Tornielli. In his introduction to the book, Tornielli writes about Francis’ first Mass as Pope, in 2013. At that Mass, Francis spoke “off the cuff” and said: “The message of Jesus is mercy. For me, and I say this with humility, it is the Lord’s strongest message.”

On this second Sunday of Easter, which is also called Divine Mercy Sunday, we can find Jesus’ message of mercy in today’s Gospel reading. In this passage from John’s Gospel, we find a message from the risen Jesus about peace, as Jesus says twice to his disciples: “Peace be with you.” Related to this message and sharing of peace is a message and sharing of mercy. The disciples are fearful and so have locked the doors. Jesus offers peace and he is also merciful, not condemning them for being afraid. Thomas doubts and does not believe the others. Jesus comes and stands among them a second time and patiently, mercifully reassures Thomas.

May we too experience the peace and mercy of the risen Lord. And may Pope Francis, who knew God’s love and mercy and peace in this life, know it fully in the next one.

Fr. Paul Robson, SJ