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!