Author: AnishinabeSC

The common theme of the readings this Sunday seems to be marriage or unity. However, the marriage being talked about here is not limited to our ordinary experience of it. Especially in Isaiah, the marriage being illustrated is the marriage of the Lord God himself with His creation – ultimately with us (if we accept the invitation).

The fruit of this union, as Paul describes in his letter, is the various manifestations of the one Holy Spirit, which are particular to each one of us. This union serves a double end: it is for our own benefit (the way a spouse wants to provide the best for their spouse), as well as for the benefit of the community – the unity and building up of our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a high and holy mystery as to how we remain both individual/distinct and yet are truly one. One in body and one in Spirit (through Christ).

Like any healthy marriage, and like the Creator’s marriage with creation, God’s union with us is meant to be further fruitful beyond just the spouses. It is meant to pour out from this (the life of the Church) and overflow out to all the earth.

Two people I know, who have been married for a long time, have shared two bits of advice: what you need in a happy and healthy marriage is faith/prayer, as well as copious amounts of patience. This, in connection with the above, is fitting for the theme of this week as we pray specifically for Christian Unity.

St. John’s gospel today illustrates the power that caring and interceding for one another has. Especially when we exhort each other and are careful ourselves to do all that the Lord desires of us. Even when we only bring what little we can, and we have no idea how that could possibly help anything. Let us therefore be encouraged and encouraging to one another, as the Lord will bring about his will, including this Unity, which is his own high priestly prayer – and we know that his prayers never fail.

– Aaron Neiva

When talking or writing about Jesus’ baptism, some of the Early Church Fathers talked about the water of the river being blessed by Jesus. For example, Saint Maximus of Turin (who lived circa 380-465) said: “Christ is baptized, not to be made holy by the water, but to make the water holy, and by his cleansing to purify the waters which he touched. For the consecration of Christ involves a more significant consecration of the water.”

This quotation suggests that there is a consecration, a blessing, of Jesus here – and not only a blessing of the water. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Peter mentions Jesus’ baptism, and then Peter talks about “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” (10:38). Jesus’ baptism can be seen as a moment of him being blessed, being anointed, by God the Father; a moment of receiving the Holy Spirit and connecting with the Father in a particularly strong way. I would see this moment as one of Jesus being confirmed in his identity and his mission. Then he is sent out to begin his public ministry.

So is this also a moment of the water being blessed, as well as Jesus being blessed? In my own words I would say that John the Baptist, and the water, and all of Creation participated in that special, sacred moment.

Related to the blessing of water, my thoughts turn to holy water. I think we can fairly say that all water is holy and sacred and a gift of the Creator. But what about water that is blessed by a bishop, priest, or deacon, and then called “holy water”? Well, perhaps we can say that this water is extra-blessed, or that there is something special about it. Saint Teresa of Avila wrote: “From long experience I have learned that there is nothing like holy water to put devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again.” 

May we too receive the blessings of Jesus’ baptism, as we reflect on that scene and that special moment.

Fr. Paul Robson SJ

Have you ever wondered what the word Epiphany means? Well, I searched and found out that the name comes from the Greek epiphaneia, meaning “appearance” or “manifestation,” and refers to the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the world. The holiday is called the Feast of Epiphany, Theophany, or Three Kings’ Day.

In many countries, Epiphany is celebrated with special pastries, and children often receive small gifts in their shoes in honour of the Magi’s gifts (they came bearing the three unique gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh) to the baby Jesus. In Eastern traditions, baptism is common during Epiphany, and houses may be blessed with holy water.

Our Indigenous celebrations for Gimaa Gizhigak include traditions which can be traced to the Epiphany. Our special pastries are the tea biscuits containing the three hidden treasure items, “P’kwanjigeng”, representing the three kings and the gifts they brought to baby Jesus. In Baptism we are given names and so we have a ceremony to give Anishinabe nooswinan, and we gave our God-Children their gifts on this day. In working with children 3-6 years of age, in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium, I use Ininaatig jiwaagamisigan sisibaakwat for Gold – liquid gold; Spruce Gum (resin), zhingob gaawaandag, for Frankinsence (anti-inflammatory); Cedar, Giizhikaandag, used for giving the body a cedar bath after death, for Myrrh, which was used for embalming, used at Jesus’ death and burial.

The First Reading, Isaiah 60:1-6, is about light that shines, that draws people to it, and foretells those who will come with gold and frankincense. This prophecy is fulfilled by the Magi.

The Responsorial Psalm,  Psalm 72, is about how the king will bring fairness, peace, and dominion from sea to sea. Tributes of gifts will come from afar, and devotion from all nations.

The Second Reading, Ephesians 3:2-3A, 5-6: Gentiles are fellow heirs, and Jesus came for all peoples and nations and not just for the Jews. We are all children of God.

The Gospel, Matthew 2:1-12, is a biblical story where we can consider the meaning and what it’s saying to us. Let us go deeper and travel with the Magi, the three wise men of different nations. Be attentive, have the courage to be adventurous, recognize and follow the light of the star to be closer to Jesus.

Prayer

Jesus, You who said “I am the light of the world”, guide us by your light to You. We bring before You our “inner gifts” of faith, hope, and love, gifts that open our eyes and hearts. May we always follow Your example of humility and love. Teach us to share Your light with others. Turn our inner gifts to action, to show others the way to You. Amen.

Rosella Kinoshameg, DOS

  The Gospel reading for the feast of the Holy Family gives us some insights into the lives of the members of that family. They often prayed together and faithfully kept their religious Jewish tradition. Every year they travelled to Jerusalem in the company of their neighbors and relatives to celebrate Pascha. We can imitate their zeal for communal praise of God. May our families be a domestic church.

  While remaining in the temple, Jesus impressed the scribes with His profound knowledge. This knowledge was not miraculously infused in Him. He had to work hard to acquire it. May our youth imitate Him in that regard, while searching for their own vocation according to God’s will for the wellbeing of society. May they, too, grow in wisdom and respect for their parents.

   Mary, Joseph, and Jesus lived happily in Nazareth, a poor Palestinian village. They teach us that true joy does not mean possessing many material things; but it is based on being authentically present to others and supporting each other, and in difficulties remembering God’s Providence. 

– Fr. Toni Baranowski SJ

Anticipation has been the overall movement of the Advent Season.

We have experienced having a baby come into our families, whether our own child or someone in our family unit. We are filled with much anticipation, the father or someone in the family makes sure the gas tank is filled up. Some parents can’t wait; they want to know the sex of the baby before the child is even born. Anticipation is a wonderful feeling filling our hearts.

Today’s gospel is all about the anticipation, the Holy Spirit at work for Mary and Elizabeth. Mary went in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth, whom she knew was pregnant in her old age as told by the Angel.  Elizabeth was so overjoyed to have the mother of our Lord come to her. The baby in her womb leaped for joy too. “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb”. These words are in the “Hail Mary” prayer.

Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee year of Hope, for 2025. As I read his letter, there is going to be so much movement of the Holy Spirit. There will be prayerful movements from this letter and opportunities for pilgrimages in our area. Stay close; keep your ears open. Hope for the Youth is found within the Pope’s letter.

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Wasse-abin High School as a Nokomis with my granddaughter. The elder for the High School, along with the students, held a gathering for the Winter Solstice Dec. 21, 2024. A student spoke about the shortest day of the year, and the longest day coming up June 21, 2025. The elder spoke about all the blessings and gifts from the Creator, and prayers were said as the attendees held onto their traditional tobacco. He ended off with “aww zhwenmishnong Zhemindoo”, three times. I felt the prayer “Have mercy on us”. I was moved, being present with all our High School Students. As I walked in I noticed many wearing black clothing, many are so tenderhearted with shyness, I can see some students with leadership skills. I was thrilled to see the young boys sitting around the big drum with two mentors, teaching them about the drum and the songs, and their responsibilities. Very powerful example of what is to come. Anticipation and Hope for 2025.      

I would like to end off with a short reflection from the 1st reading from the prophet Micah. The Lord God will bring us to peace as we are told: “we shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.”  During this Advent Season we have travelled with HOPE, PEACE, JOY AND LOVE. Our Savior is on his way. Are you ready to be filled with the Holy Spirit and leap as high as you can for all the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

Merry Christmas to all.     

Margaret (Tish) Manitowabi

By Eddie MacDonald

The 3^rd Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday.  The term refers to the first word of the Entrance Antiphon, REJOICE!  The rose candle is lit and reminds us that Christmas is near!  I have decided to write my reflection on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, as it looks at the early years of our Lord and our Mother Mary’s joy-filled experience.  I try to use my imagination and my personal experience to reflect upon each mystery.  I can walk my way through as a mother and see through the eyes of experience what is happening, I can tap into the feelings of Mary and those around her.  I feel a deep connection with our Blessed Mother and the love and joy she is experiencing.

Firstly though, we should give praise to God for the blessing of women!  We get to carry for nine months a new human being!  How special are we?!  How trusted by God to serve.  He created in us the capacity to bring life forward, the feminine genius.  As women we assist the Lord our God by carrying His precious ones.  Wow!!  This innate ability to assist Him with the moving of humanity forward. 

The first Joyful Mystery is the Annunciation.  Imagine an Angel appears, and you hear “Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you.”  I know I wouldn’t hear that as I am not pure without sin, but Mary was born protected by God’s grace to be without sin.  She is perfect!  She may have had God’s grace upon her birth, but she still had to say no to temptation throughout her young life.  So, there she is trusting and saying, “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”.  Her womb was to be the new Tabernacle.

In the second mystery Mary meets her cousin Elizabeth who exclaims “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”  Elizabeth is carrying Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist who will go first to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus.  In prayer I can feel the baby leap in my womb because when I was pregnant with my first son, I felt that joy when he happened to move in a big way when I greeted my late sister-in-law as she carried my nephew.  I will never forget that feeling as I always tie it to the second mystery.

The third joyful mystery is the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  As many women can attest, giving birth is the closest we ever get to dying. Physically dying, all for the life we are carrying.  Our blood pressure drops, our heart rate skyrockets, systems slow down as we push or have this baby lifted out of us.  Mary, our mother went through delivering Jesus.  Birth is truly miraculous!  It is the miracle of life!

The fourth joyful mystery is the presenting of the child Jesus in the temple. We can remember the joy of baptizing our child here at the church.  The white garment, the Godparents being present, the family brought together, the congregation there to witness this child entering the faith! We did not hear what Mary heard, though, that a sword will pierce her heart! When we think of some of the sad events of our children’s life then yes, we can empathize with Mary.  It hits our hearts hard whenever our child is hurt or in trouble.  We feel their pain!

The fifth joyful mystery, the finding of the child Jesus in the temple.  Well, I would have loved to experience that, but I usually found my kids at the hockey arena.  But again, using your imagination, can you see Jesus at 12 years old teaching in “His Father’s house”?  Would it not be wonderful to see your children wanting to be at church and be a part of parish life?

Let us pray in thanksgiving for Mary’s yes and let us pray for all the moms who have said yes as well.  This gift of life is precious, and the little ones will continue to need us to lead them to Christ. Let this Christmas be the opportunity to share with Joy the love within our families, and through our faith may the Joy in Christ be seen like a light in the darkness for all those around us.

Ever wondered what it would be like to sit in on a sacred circle with the Seven Grandfather teachings ‘personified’ as young adults, seeking peaceful resolutions from troubles, toward the birth of something new?

Wander with me into an imagined sacred circle of young adults arriving with COURAGE…they have all come with courage. They themselves are surprised at who showed up. Who will speak first? They sit nervously and hope HONESTY will begin to put on the table the raw issues of hurtful lived experience in the community and its origins. Honesty ‘got the message’ and speaks at length with courage. ‘But who cares!? Does anyone care?’ seems to be the sentiment among the group gathered.

LOVE does! and stands with authority, having been asked to hold the eagle feather, having listened with great RESPECT to what has been shared. They all savour this LOVE of belonging to something much greater than themselves, and breathe in hope and a little relief together…with a quiet understanding that something good has to come from this!  They listen to what it is to be Loved and to Love. TRUTH feels called to back up Honesty.

To hold the feather tenderly with Courage and conviction is Truth’s role in the sacred circle. With great trust in Love, Truth acknowledges grief with those around the table who share shattered dreams, worry and fear of tomorrow, let alone the future. There is deafening silence. Anxiety wants to erupt among them, revealed in their restless shuffling and muffled words spoken under their breath. 

WISDOM stands. She readied herself with HUMILITY to give voice to what was emerging from Love, quieting the anxiety. ‘Could you dream new dreams?’ asks Wisdom. Wisdom speaks of their desires as the light in the darkness that cannot be hidden, and Love speaks gently to brave hearts while tears form in their eyes. They hear, ‘Can you rebuild together what is broken?’ ‘How?’ they inquire in testing silence.

Love continues, “‘I forgive you, please forgive me’, are necessary words.” The sacred circle sits up; some are questioning, even doubting the suggestion. ‘Those words are seeds of your belonging to Creation, rooting your given talent that’s just beginning to emerge. Guard this seed of Inner Peace. Identify the predators, that would dig at your resolve, attempting to destabilize your depth of belonging and the invitation to the birth of something new.’

Come Lord Jesus, we await your coming into our hearts. We ask you to make the way straight. Fill us with inner peace as you guide each of us to dream new dreams with You.

Mary Balfe

At the age of 7, Michael contracted polio. It was a severe case. His family invested every resource to assist him in hopes that he might recover some use of his limbs. Those recovery efforts were in vain. Nevertheless, from those early grueling years of therapy, and seeing how much his family believed in him and loved him, Michael took encouragement and strength. Wheelchair bound but determined, he returned to school. He chose to continue his education and earned a degree in law. From his wheelchair, and with the help of full-time caregivers throughout his life, he opened and maintained a law practice, earning his own way in life and helping others.

Remarkably, Michael enjoyed singing and even joined a country music band in his middle years. He loved to perform on stage. He also had a passion for philosophy and spirituality. He became a published author. Nevertheless, very day of his life he had to be helped out of bed, bathed, dressed, fed, and then lifted into bed again each night. He weighed less than 90 pounds, but he wore a smile nearly every single day of his life. He lived always hopeful and joyful until he passed away at the ripe age of 74. He was a living example of courage and unwavering hope to everyone who knew him.

In the Gospel for this First Sunday of Advent the words of Jesus can sound foreboding and dark. They address, however, the truth of our human condition: we all face obstacles in life and we long for the assurance that we can get through the darkest times with our dignity intact. The promise of God’s faithful love and care is like a blanket spread over the terrors and hardships described in this passage. In those darkest moments of our lives, Jesus says, take courage, stand erect, lift your head. Jesus assures us that, buoyed by faith, we can trust that our “redemption is near at hand.”

In those times of your greatest hardships, take courage and hope from the ancient promise of God’s faithfulness, and from the examples of people like Michael. Be joyful, put on a smile, not just for yourself but for the sake of encouraging and strengthening others. Believe and watch patiently for the promised redemption that will surely come.

– Fr. Mark Hoelsken, S.J.

Today and this week mark the end of our church liturgical journey, reminding us that we are at the end of an important life cycle, although this is not the end. Throughout the year we celebrated the highlights of Jesus’ human and earth journey that ended in what appeared to be his death, followed by his resurrection and ascension.

We claim Jesus as our King, but what does this say about us, about who we are?

We have images of earthly human kings, queens, and royalty in general, who rule some areas of the land. They might be people who show off their status and class in society. This may be our concept of royalty. The books of Daniel and Revelation give us a different image. Daniel talks about dreams, visions, dominion, glory and everlasting kingship. The book of Revelation speaks of Jesus as our link, for our human earthly reality, to the everlasting spirit world. The gospel quotes Jesus speaking of a kingdom that is not a worldly kingdom, or at least not the kind of kingdom the world glorifies, but quite the opposite.

Jesus the King conquered evil in the world, because it could not crush him. He was victorious in that battle, and we celebrate that battle during Lent and Easter. We have Jesus’ flesh and blood whenever we receive communion in the Eucharist. When we listen to the readings, we are absorbing God’s word into our minds and hearts, where God resides; and so Jesus, living in us, continues that battle in us and through us. This is a reality (perhaps beyond our understanding) of our spiritual royalty, bestowed on us in and through Jesus.

We need to carry ourselves with dignity, no matter the turmoil that happens around us, no matter how many fireworks we hear throughout the days and nights, or the sirens that go by. We are sons and daughters of the King and we will walk with dignity, as Jesus held himself with dignity even on the cross.

As this church year comes to a close, let us take some quiet time to reflect on who we really are, not listening to what the world tells us we should be. Scribes and Pharisees condemned Jesus for saying he was the Son of God, but he knew who he was. Let us not listen to the world telling us we belong to the world, but rather know that we are God’s sons and daughters through Jesus, the firstborn. Let us all live the truth of who we are, as princesses and princes.

Sr. Terry Beaudry

Today’s readings tend to focus on the end of all things, and we are given some descriptions of what that will be like. With it comes both bad news and good news. The bad news is that this is what all creation is moving towards (passing away), and there’s nothing really any of us can do about it to alter that course. In fact, it is in large part our own fault (the fault of sin) that our world is like this and will continue going through the consequences.

The good news is that, despite being the end in one sense, all will be renewed. We also can share in that renewal in uninterrupted peace and glory – if we accept the invitation that God is giving us. Today’s Responsorial Psalm and the Letter to the Hebrews are calling us to this. To turn our attention to God (through Christ) and his ways, and to participate with him, so that all our sins and lawless deeds will be blotted out and forgiven. The wall that we ourselves erected that separated us from God and his love, mercy, healing. The obstacles to the sincere love that we ought to have for one another and for ourselves will be broken down forever. “In your presence there is fullness of joy […] forevermore.”

To take hold of the promises given us by this good news does require our alertness, and our action, in cooperation with God’s will for us. Hence, the summons to be attentive to the signs God gives us. We are also admonished elsewhere to always keep vigilant against the enemies of our souls who are described as “a prowling lion seeking whom to devour”. These do wage war against us and will seek every means necessary to deceive us from remaining steadfast to the Lord.

Thanks be to God that we have this assurance from him: “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”. Let us hold fast to him despite the difficulties and say with St. Peter what he says elsewhere: “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

– Aaron Neiva