Author: AnishinabeSC

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

Alleluia! “The Lord has risen as He said.” The Easter season is the peak of our Christian Catholic faith. It is the resurrection of Jesus that we celebrate. In his resurrection lies our hope for our own resurrection, and it is what we as Catholic Christians live for, as members of the church, who are the body of Jesus the Christ. It is also our hope as Anishnabek with our belief in the cycle of life.

We have just finished the 40 days of Lent, a time when we give things up that are not healthy for us, or things that have gained control over us, such as junk foods, cell phones, alcohol and drugs, etc.  Some may have worked on developing and practicing healthy habits such as praying the rosary daily, or walking more to stay healthy. These practices help us overcome our selfishness and self-centeredness so we can focus on loving God and our neighbour. Jesus practiced his letting go of things that bind, for 40 days when he fasted. That might have been his first death, death of the ego, and his first resurrection, rising above his ego, death to selfishness and self-centeredness. He got past his own needs, fears, and desires. He was then free to help, teach, and focus on the needs of those around him. His final test of letting go was his agonizing death, which we ritualize in our Good Friday service to re-member (it is like integrating) it in our own lives. It is our sharing in the suffering. That is the Jesus Christ story we re-member.

What is your suffering, death and resurrection story? Each of us have our own stories of life struggles, with ourselves and with life around us. Often when we overcome a difficult hurdle, we breathe a sigh of relief and realize we have new-found strength. One Lent, years ago, I gave up sugar in my tea and coffee, a small thing to help me identify with the suffering of Jesus. It was hard, but sugar is not healthy and serves no nutritional purpose. That Easter, I was filled with a greater joy because I had a tiny part to play in my redemption, by being healthier and loosening the grip sugar had on me. This is our journey, and we can say with Jesus, ‘not my will but yours be done’. Our practices of letting go can become a daily practice and will bring new life to oneself and those around us. We will then be an ‘alleluia’ people, a resurrected people who will also change the lives of those around us. The Lord Jesus will have risen in us. Alleluia!

– Sr. Terry (Kateri) Beadry, CSJ

The Spirit, through the prophet Isaiah, is today speaking to us about how we need to let the former things go and rather hold fast to the Lord, who is trying to do a new work in, for and through us; who alone can bring us to the safe harbour we desire through this desert pilgrimage called life.

The following Psalm, and the passage from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, seem to be appropriate responses to the Lord’s invitation. The more we come to know the Lord, to develop and deepen our personal relationship with him, to know his love and mercy towards us, the more should we be filled with that joy which the world cannot give, but which can only come through him. This should increasingly make us grow detached from the things of this world (the former things) in terms of our affections and desires. These are not the end-all and be-all of our being, of our stories.

These worldly affections and desires, I believe, are also often (along with our ill use of our own will in relation to these) the source of many of our deepest troubles and wounds in this life. And not only of our own troubles and wounds, as today’s Gospel startlingly shows; but they tend to hurt and involve others, whether directly or indirectly – the impact always being viscerally real.

Yet the good Lord, in his infinite compassion and condescension towards us, still extends to us his personal pardon, healing, and renewed freedom. But not freedom as an unlimited licence for all things, and certainly not to return to said former things. “Go and sin no more,” Jesus says to us, and in another place Scripture says, “do good works”.

The other lesson that I think is important for us to take away today is: just as we have been extended this hand from the Lord, so too should we (within reason) extend the same benefit to others, as opposed to hands filled with stones to enact a strict and stringent justice – under which we would also stand condemned, if we are truly honest with ourselves.

 – Aaron Neiva

This is also called “Laetare” Sunday, a Latin word meaning “rejoice”, as in the Entrance Antiphon, a joyous celebration. Let us look over the readings and ponder what it is that is being celebrated.

The First Reading, from Joshua, is about the Israelites celebrating their first Passover in the Promised Land, as promised by God. They were eating the produce of the land, no longer Manna, which was the food God had provided to them while they were in the desert. This was a new beginning, the disgrace of being slaves in Egypt was removed.

In the Second Reading (2 Corinthians 5:17-21), Paul teaches that anyone in Christ is a new creation. The old has passed away, all things are made new, we are becoming new creations, in a continuous process of becoming aware and conversion. A word I have heard for this awareness, or coming to your senses, is “mikowe”; and continuing to conversion is “andjibimadisiwin” – both to be joyously celebrated. God reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, to be ambassadors for Christ.

The Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 34) is a psalm of joyously praising the goodness of the Lord always. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” for he hears and saves those in need. Seek him and be filled with joy and never be ashamed.

In the Gospel of Luke (15:1-3, 11-32), Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees and scribes, who were complaining that he welcomed sinners and ate with them. They were unaware of their own dark side. Jesus wanted to teach them and to call them to self-knowledge and conversion by telling the parable of the prodigal son. The younger son is an obvious sinner who came to his senses, returned home to say that he was “not worthy to be called your son”. But he was greeted with open arms, a kiss, great joy and celebration.

The older son was hardworking and righteous. His behaviour of feeling superior was just like the Pharisees and scribes. When his father came out to him to invite him in, he refused to celebrate. He resisted in anger and hurt, had no love for his brother, called him “this son yours” to his father. He had the freedom to accept or reject.

This parable highlights God’s abundant and endless mercy and forgiveness and unconditional love for everyone, even the Pharisees and scribes. He eagerly waits for us to return to Him, to reconcile with Him and each other. What great joy there is in forgiveness.

Let us renew ourselves, come to our senses and be humble, smaller, less defensive, and accept the loving invitation of God.

Rosella Kinoshameg DOS