First Sunday of Advent 2016

Jesus tells his disciples that the coming of the Son of Man will catch many people unprepared. Jesus tells his disciples that they are to always be ready for the day of the Lord.

Many of us feel the pressure early in the holiday season to be ready for Christmas. But today's Gospel challenges us to be ready for something other than the gift-giving of Christmas.

Read together today's Gospel reading (Matthew 24:37-44). 
As a family, talk about what it means to be ready for the day of the Lord. One of the roles of the family, the domestic church, is to be a school of faith leading one another to salvation. Reflect together as a family on how your family helps one another to be better Christians. Commit to one thing that your family will do this Advent season to help one another be better Christians. You might choose to write this commitment down and post it in a prominent place in your home, perhaps near your family's Advent wreath.

Pray together that God will help you in this Advent commitment. Pray together the Lord's Prayer or today's Psalm.

Peace

Christ the King

Despite the claim that we are a democratic people we live fascinated by monarchy & royalty: Whether it is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, William and Kate’s wedding, the birth of each of their children, Prince Harry’s antics – and his newest girlfriend possibly from Canada - royalty fascinates and captivates.

What does it mean “Christ the King”– when there is no clearly good earthly model or example of kingship?
Maybe we can be thankful – for then we would not be trapped into comparing God with an earthly, temporary, mortal ruler

I confess that I have been watching Netflix - Binge watching The Crown,  quite an engaging series covering the time of Queen Elizabeth II.  Interestingly I noticed that the advisers are always telling the Queen that she has to separate her personal from the title - herself from the crown.  But it is not so with Christ – He is always integrated - the Eternal Word is fully integrated in Jesus of Nazareth.


Many times we define an age or history by an event: In The Crown they might say it was the abdication of King Edward 8th; 
in recent times some might say it was the terrorist attacks of 9/11, or the Resignation of Benedict.  For you it might be a personal thing - Marriage, Birth of a child, of a grand child, or a car accident. People say  (Blank)  Changed the world forever

But really it is the Gospel today that documents the event that changed everything: Jesus – on the cross – His Death & Resurrection - this is what changed the world – Forever!
Christ the King on the throne of the cross, Crowned with thorns from a bush a Kingdom not of this world – but in this world

Our challenge is to recognize this life changing reality - and it means making a change – from our way to His way so that we belong:  to Jesus – we belong to Christ the King 

Thy Kingdom come – means also – MY kingdom has to go!

As we conclude the year of Mercy – God’s Mercy comes – and continues to come, while MY being Judgemental has to go!

When that happens - then we can say with St. Paul, "It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me."

The Cardinal is Coming!

Earlier last month we sent an invitation to Cardinal Collins - to celebrate the feat of the Holy Family with us - and we received word that he has accepted! 

Each Christmas season the Sunday between Christmas and New Years day is the Feast of the Holy Family - Our Parish Feast. This year - since Christmas and New Years each fall on a Sunday - the Feast of the Holy Family is celebrated on Friday December 30th. So on that Friday will have Skating at the Arena from 4-6pm and then we will have Mass at the Church at 7:00 pm with Cardinal Collins as the main celebrant! Mark your Calendars. A reception will follow after the mass.

Rideau Hall

My Godson - Geoffrey Schemitsch - was named one of the top eight Academic All Canadian Student Athletes last month - and received the Award in Ottawa at Rideau Hall this past Tuesday.

Here are seven of the top Eight getting into the Limo and heading to Rideau Hall. (The 8th is playing professional Hockey in the Italian Alps League!)

Geoffrey and the Governor General - David Johnston

If you look closely at this picture, you can see above Geoffrey and I the name Jules Leger - he was the Governor General of Canada from 1974-1979.  It was an awesome experience and I was so honoured to be a part of it!

Peace.

Seven Brothers

A Small boy put this question to his father: “Dad what will happen to you when you die?”
“Oh, That’s easy to answer,” came the confident reply: “I just go out like a light.” After a moments silence to digest that answer there came a second question: "What if there is someone waiting to switch you on again?"

Our Readings today all look forward.
The first reading is a stirring account of the martyrdom of a mother and her 7 sons.  We hear only a portion of the story today, the first half, which describes part of the Jewish resistance against a foreign conqueror, 150 years before Jesus’ life.

What we have here are the main statements of belief made by the brothers as they go to their deaths because they bare unwilling to eat Pork:

1st Brother – Reason for the resistance: Faithfulness to God’s Law

2nd Brother – Expresses a belief in the afterlife

3rd Brother – this new life will involve a Resurrection of the Body

4th Brother – There will be no new life for their persecutors - there are consequences to our actions on earth!

This passage is one of earliest Biblical texts affirming life after death. The Sadducees did not believe in the Resurrection and so they tried to trap Jesus using an old and little-used law 
to discount thoughts of an afterlife.
The law was designed to ensure one who died childless would, through his Brother, have an heir to preserve his name.

But Jesus shows the Sadducees that the Law they quoted would not be relevant in heaven. The dead will already possess the Kingdom. There is no need of an Heir. All is already inherited!

As we come in November – remembering our faithful departed, our liturgy looks to the Future - and at this table – we have a glimpse – a taste of the inheritance promised for each of us in the Kingdom!

Proud GodFather!

I was so proud this week to learn that my Godson - Geoffrey Schemitsch was named as one of 8 Academic All-Canadian University Atheletes for the 2015-2016 season: 

TORONTO (CIS) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport proudly announced Wednesday the student-athletes selected as Top Eight Academic All-Canadians for the 2015-2016 season. Acadia's Geoff Schemitsch, a fourth year hockey player, was named to the Top 8. It is the fourth year in a row for Acadia to be honoured with a CIS Top 8.

The elite group will be honoured in Ottawa on November 8, when His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, presents the fourth annual Governor General's Academic All-Canadian Commendation to the eight recipients during a ceremony at Rideau Hall, his official residence.

Every year, a growing number of CIS student-athletes are recognized as Academic All-Canadians, having maintained an average of 80 per cent or better over the academic year while competing for one - or more - of their university's varsity teams. 

Among these outstanding individuals, one female and one male student-athlete from each of the four CIS regional associations are selected annually to make up the Top Eight. 

The 2015-16 recipients from Atlantic University Sport (AUS) are Elenor Henry (Toronto), a soccer player and biochemistry student from Mount Allison University, and Geoff Schemitsch (Thornhill, Ont.), a hockey player and kinesiology student from Acadia University.

"The number of Academic All-Canadians speaks volume about the quality of our student-athletes, but also our coaches, support staff and our universities," said Graham Brown, chief executive officer of CIS. "To be selected among 12,000 of their peers is an achievement these exceptional student-athletes should be extremely proud of. They represent the very best of what university sport is all about." 

Here is the Bio that is provided by Acadia University:

Geoffrey Schemitsch joined the Axemen for the 2013-2014 season, and made an immediate impact. Named to the All-Rookie team in his first season, the blueliner helped Acadia win the 2014 AUS title before posting a career-best three goals and 22 points – good for fifth in the conference – en route to Second-Team All-Star honours this past season. 

Studying Kinesiology, Schemitsch is a three-time Academic All-Canadian (2014-2016) and was named to the Dean's List from 2013-2016. He has also received numerous academic awards since arriving studying at Acadia, including the Sully Ashfield and Barbara Bill Ashfield Award, the Acadia Sports Therapy Clinic Award, and the Kirton Scholarship. The 24-year-old is also prominent in the community, volunteering at various fundraisers, group activities and team functions with minor hockey players affiliated with Acadia University's minor hockey program.

"Geoff is arguably one of the most committed, intelligent and hardest working individuals I have coached," said Acadia men's hockey head coach Darren Burns. "(He) is now a captain on our team and is doing exactly what I envisioned he would accomplish on our campus, in the local community and on the ice. I marvel at his accountability and responsibility in leading others."

They neglect to say that when he was 1 year old he brought up the gifts at the Mass of Thanksgiving that I celebrated at my home parish the day after I was Ordained a priest!

I am ecited to be going to mOttawa on the 7th-8th to see Geoffrey receive this Award!

Peace

Dedication of Two Altars

On Thursday I celebrated the dedication of the Altar at St. Michael's Catholic Secondary School and attended the re-dedication of St. Michael's Cathedral! Two Altar Consecrations in 1 day! I suspect that I was the only person in the world who has done this - certainly in the Archdiocese. Many priests said it was the first one they has seen in person (It was my 3rd - I saw St. Jerome's Church dedicated in 1998) 
The Cathedral is now honoured as a Minor Basilica! Henceforth it is known as:

St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica.

The Umbraculum - a symbol of a Basilica - with the Archdiocese Crest and the Papal Coat of Arms.

Tintinnabulum - A bell that is used in processions with the Holy Father at a Basilica.  
In the Middle Ages it served the practical function of alerting the people of Rome 
to the approach of the Pope during papal processions.

The new Casavant Pipe Organ in the Cathedral Basilica.

A view of the Cathedral from the Balcony. You can see the new floor in marble around the altar area.

This is Mike Di Domizio - a parishioner of Holy Family - who has been a member of
the Team of craftsmen working on the Electrical amd Mechanichal parts
of the restoration at the Cathdral. Mike works for Royal Mechanical.

This is the Altar at St. Michael Secondary School which  Cardinal Thomas Collins deleggated me
to Consecrate on the afternoon of September 29, 2016.

 Peace