Lent Begins - More of Him, Less of Me

As we look to welcome the coming of spring we also welcome Lent. In fact, Lent is a word derived from Middle English which means “spring”. Both spring and Lent follow the vernal equinox (a date that changes yearly), a time of year when the earth tilts closer to the sun.

During spring, the dark cold days of winter fade, giving way to sunshine, warmth and new life springing up in all of nature. As the earth moves closer to the sun in spring, during Lent, the church encourages us to move closer to THE SON by uniting ourselves with Jesus’ forty days wandering in the desert, a place of dryness, desolation and solitude. We do this by practising the disciplines of fasting, prayer, penance and charity. 

“Led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil” as a test of his love, Jesus certainly must have felt weak at times and may have even thought of giving in. But Jesus persevered in his mission of love. He did not give in to the devil’s temptations of hunger, or to test the Father’s love for him, or worship something other than God. Jesus persevered and never forgot that “man does not live on

bread (or money, power or fame) alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”. He commanded Satan to “Get away” and the devil left Him.

Throughout the next six weeks of Lent we may begin to grow weak and falter in our practice. We may even be tempted to give up, wondering what value fasting or works of charity may provide. But be reminded that the constant Gospel message of Jesus this entire Lent is: “I know you love me”. We should find these words encouraging and providing strength to persevere! Just like Jesus, if we command our temptations to flee, we will endure and make it to Easter!

I invite you to check our special section for the Season of Lent and some of the opportunities we are offering at our parish to connect. I also encourage you to check our special section for our Lenten Message Series - More of Him, Less of Me.

WHO’S YOUR MASTER?: TRUST OR WORRY

What a beautiful and touching image we have in the first reading today! Like a loving mother, God will never forget His children. That’s a great lead-in to our Gospel reading which focuses on two subjects: “serving two masters”(our relationship with God and things), and worry. I’m sure there’s a hot button in there somewhere for almost all of us!

Lots of things can rule us: the love of money or possessions, the power of position, the glamour of prestige, and the driving force of unruly passions and addictions. Ultimately the choice boils down to two: God and things. How many of us in the business world had to work for two bosses at one time? It happens, but is rarely ever successful. There is a constant tug of war over who gets priority. There can only be one master in our life. Our “master” is that which governs our thought processes, shapes our ideals, and controls the desires of the heart and the values we choose to live by. It’s easy then to answer the question of who takes priority. It is God.

Now let’s shift gears. Sure, we fear not having enough, not being able to provide for our family and this is understandable because our society tells us to live 24 hours a day worrying about those things. It begs us to accumulate more and more.That’s why we worry, but worry or anxiety robs us of faith and confidence in God’s help. It saps our energy. That’s why Jesus tells us God knows our needs even before we ask and he gives generously to those who trust in him. Here’s where the rub comes in. It would be foolish to say a person who is jobless, poor, had 5 children to feed and a sickly spouse should not worry about tomorrow. This is where we come in. Trusting God means we believe everything else will take care of itself and that means we have a responsibility to take care of our neighbour. That’s what we’ve been hearing in the Gospel for the last several weeks.

Keep Moving Forward

For the month of January our parish community was engaged in a message series under the title "Baggage". Whenever we are hurt, we feel as if someone owes us something. We can hold onto our hurts for a long time, we can hold onto our hurts for a lifetime. Our hurt can slow us down and it can mess us up. It can even damage other relationships moving forward. As we begin a New Year together, we will look at the importance of forgiving others and how it helps us even more than the person who hurt us. More than anything, it helps us grow like Christ.

As a supplement to this series, which focuses on the need to drop the baggage of life which often comes in the form of Hurdles, Hurts and Heresies we need to embrace authenticity in prayer, for the next few weeks our blog will feature some articles about prayer. I will cover four areas: What is prayer? Is there a right way to pray? What if my prayer is quiet as opposed to loud? How can I grow in prayer?  This entry is Part 4 of 4

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Many people can remember the first movie they ever saw in a theatre. I know I can — Star Wars (the original) on May 25, 1977. Now I make sure I see every release of the Star Wars story, including the latest film, Rogue One.

Without giving away the story, one line from the movie stood out for me. It came in a scene in which the Jedi warrior, in prison, replies to his cell mate: “There is more than one sort of prison to be trapped in, and I feel like you carry yours with you.”

Sometimes people come to me and say they feel “trapped” in prayer. The first time I heard that, I was distressed until they unpacked it a bit. It turned out they were faithful to prayer, ardent in prayer, generous in prayer, but felt they were not moving in prayer, that they were stuck in a rut or routine.

So what should one do if they feel that way? For a child of God, moving ahead is the only direction outlined for us in Scripture. While some may choose to maintain the status quo, to go around in circles, or to even turn back to the security of what was, moving ahead with confidence is the only life-giving alternative.

Several years ago I adopted a motto for myself. It comprised words that the legendary Dr. David Livingstone once entered into his diary. Livingstone was the 19th-century Scot who devoted the best years of his life crisscrossing the vast continent of Africa as a Christian missionary doctor, preacher and explorer. He made this entry: “I am prepared to go anywhere, as long as it is forward!”

Moving forward is not always easy. There will be distractions, the road will bend, obstacles may appear and other challenges may arise. Yet, nothing should keep our eyes from the ultimate goal, nothing should ever allow discouragement to paralyze us. Moving ahead is the only way to go.

A follower of Jesus truly can move ahead with confidence in any enterprise, head held high, no matter what and with full assurance of ultimate victory because of the promises and the character of God. This character of God is His unfailing goodness toward us. His promise is that God will go with us where He leads us. So how can we do that in prayer? Here are a couple of ways to keep moving forward:

First, consider journaling. This keeps everything fresh and on task. It also gives us an opportunity to review where we have been. One of my favourite features on my new GPS is that it not only tells me how far I have yet to go, but it tells me how much I have travelled. On a long journey this is such a grace because it keeps me encouraged, focused and even determined to reach my destination. Journaling is a lot like that.

Second, find a good companion. A fine spiritual director is a gift. Since my seminary days I have been blessed with one who has been a rock in my own spiritual life. But sometimes, well, our spiritual directors can be a bit more celestial — the saints. The lives of the saints — St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross and St. John Paul II, to name few — are wonderful directors for us. Their lives can be beacons of direction when we wonder if we are moving.

Third, consider taking a retreat. As a child, every once in a while my parents would rearrange my room. I thought it had something to do with wanting to check if I cleaned under my bed or even if I was hiding anything. But in reality my mother, a teacher, knew that a change (even subtle) can provide a new perspective. Sometimes getting “away” for a short bit freshens us for the steps forward.

As we continue to move forward in life, we should never look back, go in circles or even simply maintain the status quo. We should recheck our individual personal histories and be reminded of His faithfulness in years past, being also reassured of what He can do for us now, since Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Indeed, let us trust Him more completely for what He can and will do on behalf of His children as they encounter new challenges. His promises never fail and He remains faithful to the end, for His love for us is everlasting.

Our part is simply, in ardent prayer, to keep moving forward with confidence.

Making Your Way Thru Prayer and Life....together

For the month of January our parish community was engaged in a message series under the title "Baggage". Whenever we are hurt, we feel as if someone owes us something. We can hold onto our hurts for a long time, we can hold onto our hurts for a lifetime. Our hurt can slow us down and it can mess us up. It can even damage other relationships moving forward. As we begin a New Year together, we will look at the importance of forgiving others and how it helps us even more than the person who hurt us. More than anything, it helps us grow like Christ.

As a supplement to this series, which focuses on the need to drop the baggage of life which often comes in the form of Hurdles, Hurts and Heresies we need to embrace authenticity in prayer, for the next few weeks our blog will feature some articles about prayer. I will cover four areas: What is prayer? Is there a right way to pray? What if my prayer is quiet as opposed to loud? How can I grow in prayer?  This entry is Part 3 of 4

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An older gentleman in our community is a resident at a nearby palliative hospital. He has always been a strong independent man, but his Parkinson’s disease has entered an aggressive form and he is unable to do the simple functions of life as he once did independent of help.

One such task is daily shaving, for which he requires the help of the nurses. One day by accident one of the nurses nicked him a little and she was instantly forbidden from ever helping him again. Instead, my elderly friend does it himself and in the process nicks himself over and over again on his own.

In our lives the same pattern can exist when we allow things into our life which prevent or prohibit us in our life of prayer. We call that baggage. This baggage of life comes often in forms of hurdles, hurts and heresies. Let us take a look at all three briefly as we continue looking at what is prayer together.

First, the hurdles. I often recall hearing as a child my pastor remark “Heaven is Heaven and Earth is not.” Our eternal focus and destiny is not here, it is with the Lord. So this life will be filled with hurdles. How we handle those hurdles makes all the difference.

In this we know that people (even priests) are imperfect, that the events of life don’t always run smoothly, that mistakes and even “bad things” do happen, that families disagree and even drift — all of this can be heavy baggage. Yet if in our prayer we hold on to that baggage, with mandates that tell God what He must do with this baggage and then despair when the mandate is not fulfilled, then we are losing the opportunity to grab hold of mercy. Mercy lets us forgive often, try again regularly, get up when we fall, seek help, find balance and adopt peace. Are you praying with a mandate or with mercy?

Another piece of baggage in our life is hurts. These “nicks” of life can be done by ourselves in our choices, or by others in word, action or deed. Many of the times these are in error, and we can either keep “nicking” by reliving the hurt or we can seek instead the light of the Lord, which often means letting go and moving on.

Even in our prayer we can recount the story, telling God the hurt that was done and even asking repeatedly why? Holding on to this baggage just causes the hurt to be relived, but surrendering it in prayer to the Lord, expressing our emotion but sufficing in His Grace, makes all the difference. Is there anything you are holding on to and letting “nick” you more?

Thirdly, we often handle the baggage of “heresies.” These are the half-truths or the lies of life. They often are appealing, look good, seem easy and even manageable, but that small inner voice says they are wrong.

Last fall, after returning from a gruelling 16-hour flight, I was in a hurry to catch my ride at the airport and get home. After standing at the luggage area for a bit I spotted my luggage, grabbed it and began to make my way out of the airport only to be chased by an airline employee claiming I had someone else’s bag. Upon inspection, well, I did. They looked alike with one difference, the name tag.

So often the heresies of life look like truth, but they are not of the Lord. The best way to drop this baggage is in prayer, to constantly be praying for a discerning heart to seek the light of the Lord by seeing if it is for His name, His glory and as part of His will for our life. If it’s not of the Lord — drop it!

Ask yourself this week: in your life of prayer, is there any baggage you continue to carry? Are you holding on to it in prayer, or are you dropping it with prayer? Next week, the greatest prayer.

Is there a right way to pray?

For the month of January our parish community is engaged in a message series under the title "Baggage". Whenever we are hurt, we feel as if someone owes us something. We can hold onto our hurts for a long time, we can hold onto our hurts for a lifetime. Our hurt can slow us down and it can mess us up. It can even damage other relationships moving forward. As we begin a New Year together, we will look at the importance of forgiving others and how it helps us even more than the person who hurt us. More than anything, it helps us grow like Christ.

As a supplement to this series, which focuses on the need to drop the baggage of life which often comes in the form of Hurdles, Hurts and Heresies we need to embrace authenticity in prayer, for the next few weeks our blog will feature some articles about prayer. I will cover four areas: What is prayer? Is there a right way to pray? What if my prayer is quiet as opposed to loud? How can I grow in prayer?  This entry is Part 2 of 4
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When I was 12, some family members and I went on a fishing trip. There are three things I remember about that trip: first, I caught the biggest fish (which to be truthful didn’t mean much given I caught the only fish that day); second, the boat was leaky; third, we found ourselves in a slight storm. Have you ever experienced a storm?

So often it is in storms that we find ourselves praying. Last week we looked at what is prayer and concluded that it is an encounter with a friend — Jesus. But we needed to make sure that we were not doing all of the talking and telling, instead seeking to do the listening and learning. So is there a right way to pray? Well, maybe the storm will tell us.

I want to take you back to a situation the disciples faced in Jesus’ day.

In Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus told the disciples to get into a boat and go across the sea of Galilee to the other side. When they got to the middle of the lake, a huge storm came up. Jesus came to them, walking on the water. Peter asked if he could come to Jesus, and Jesus said “come.” Peter then walked on the water, but then looked at the waves around him and started to sink. After calling out to Jesus in prayer, He saved Peter and they got into the boat and the storm went away.

We all face storms in our lives. A major, life-changing decision. A temptation with sin. An argument with a family member. A betrayal of a friend. A loss of a loved one. Storms are a part of life; there is no way we can avoid them and a lot of the time we can’t control them. But we can control how we react to them. This is the key, because how we react in prayer to the storms we face will determine whether we sink or stay afloat, and if prayer continues to be a life-giving experience.

One of my former pastors used to say, “Trials will have one of two effects on you: they will either make you bitter or better.” We can sulk, cry, pout, throw a pity-party, curse God and be bitter and end up sinking, or we can in prayer listen and learn from the storm and become better and stay afloat.

There are three sure ways not to sink and these must be at the core of our prayer. First, focus on Jesus. When did Peter start to sink? The moment he took his focus off Jesus and started to look around.

It is easy for us to forget about God during troubled times. We try to take control of the situation ourselves and it’s easy to forget that Jesus is always there. Here, I highly recommend Eucharistic Adoration. It is literally about keeping our eyes on Jesus.

Another element to prayer is to live in obedience. Jesus gave one command to Peter: “Come.” At first, it looked as if Peter was doing great, but then he stopped. Peter’s faith disappeared. Listen, God loves you and wants the best for you. He is always looking out for your best interests. Even when the storms of life are tough and we can’t understand what’s going on, God is still in control. As long as we trust Him and live in obedience to Him, He will see us through it.

Finally, in your time and experience of prayer, overlook distractions. Peter took his focus off of Jesus, then he stopped, and then he looked at the waves. He became worried about the storm around him. He thought he couldn’t handle it. He thought the storm was too big for him. But he forgot one thing — Jesus was there.

Sometimes our storms seem so big we feel that we can’t handle them. Don’t forget that Jesus is with you and He will give you the power to see it through.

Baggage - So What is Prayer?

For the month of January our parish community is engaged in a message series under the title "Baggage". Whenever we are hurt, we feel as if someone owes us something. We can hold onto our hurts for a long time, we can hold onto our hurts for a lifetime. Our hurt can slow us down and it can mess us up. It can even damage other relationships moving forward. As we begin a New Year together, we will look at the importance of forgiving others and how it helps us even more than the person who hurt us. More than anything, it helps us grow like Christ.

As a supplement to this series, which focuses on the need to drop the baggage of life which often comes in the form of Hurdles, Hurts and Heresies we need to embrace authenticity in prayer, for the next few weeks our blog will feature some articles about prayer. I will cover four areas: What is prayer? Is there a right way to pray? What if my prayer is quiet as opposed to loud? How can I grow in prayer?

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A few days before Christmas, I dropped into a local hospital to visit some parishioners. As I made my rounds, checking one room after another off my list, I came across what I thought would be my final stop. 

But the man I'd come to visit was away for some tests. I was just about to leave when a voice from the other side of the room called out. 

“Father,” the voice said. “You don’t know me and I am not of your flock, but...” 

The man paused and began to choke up. 

“I wonder if you could teach me to pray?”

My pen and paper went into my pocket. 

“Of course I can try, but first, who are you?” 

Over the next few minutes the widower described a journey which led him only 30 minutes earlier to be told that the cancer which sent him to hospital was now leading him into the final days of his life. 

“I have never been much for God, prayer or the stuff you are about Father," he said, "but somehow when you walked in, I knew I needed to be.”

In the following days our visits moved from his hospital bedside to a room at the hospice to a quiet moment a few days after Christmas when Corey and God (we trust) met face to face. The words of our first encounter became the focus of all our days — “I wondered if you could teach me to pray?” Over the coming weeks I would like to relay some thoughts about prayer that I shared with Corey. I will cover four areas: What is prayer? Is there a right way to pray? What if my prayer is quiet as opposed to loud? How can I grow in prayer?

A survey conducted last March by the Angus Reid Institute found that among the 20 per cent of Canadians who say they pray every day, most pray out of gratitude. But when people who pray infrequently — fewer than two to three times a week — address a supreme being, chances are they pray to ask for something. 

Prayer is more than a “Hail Mary” in a time of need. It is an on going connection with God. My friend Corey did not ask me to pray for him; he wanted to know how he could pray. That immediately struck me. His budding prayer life already had depth. Corey needed to learn the rubrics and, even more, become reacquainted with a friend who had never left his side. So what is prayer? Basically, it's an encounter with a friend. But what should that encounter entail?  

Although some people sincerely petition God to address the needs of others, frequently we pray for what we want. We tell God our list of wants, needs and requirements. I need a job, more money, a change of pace, a more meaningful relationship, a less stressful life, better health.

For others, prayer is often about informing, advising and correcting God. We to tell God that He doesn’t get it. That there is something going on in our life that we seem to think He does not already know, and then often we try to tell Him how to handle it, fix it or make it into what we want. We seem to be praying for “our kingdom come” instead of “thy Kingdom come.” 

Here's the rub: if we pray for our kingdom, we get more of us; if we pray for His kingdom, we get more of Him.

So we must answer this question to truly know how to pray: do we want more of us in it or do we want more of God because of it? Prayer is about an encounter with a friend who already knows what is going on. We need to take time to listen and understand what it means. So if you want more of God in your life, then pray to understand, not necessarily to inform. Spend time with Him as a good friend would — listening, seeking to comprehend and finding the way.

In one of my encounters with Corey he told me about a time in his life when he “prayed.” He said he had a fight with God because he told God what needed to happen but God didn’t do it. Corey was upset because his plan didn’t come together. A year later, he was grateful it did not and said he had a sense that maybe God knew what He was doing. 

Ever had one of those realisations when you are thankful God didn't do things your way? Or do you spend a lot of time in prayer informing, advising and correcting God? Are you praying for your will or His will to be done on Earth as well as in heaven? Answering those questions and living them are the first steps in coming to understand what is prayer.

This week, take some time to be aware of your prayer and your encounter with your friend. Try to determine if you are prone to talking and telling, or if you are seeking to listen and learn. Next week, we'll look at whether there is a right way to pray.

A New Year Begins......

As last month rolled and January (and a new year) approached,  I wanted to declare a “Time-Out!” Inside, I’m protesting: “Slow down! What’s going on? What happened to time?” The latter question reminded me of the speed of life lived:

“When as a child I laughed and wept, time crept.

When as a youth I dreamed and talked, time walked.

When I became a full grown man, time ran.

And later as I older grew, time flew.

Soon I shall find while travelling on, time gone.”

[Inscription on the clock in Chester cathedral.]

At the beginning of this New Year let us pause (slow down, declare a Time Out) for a moment and focus on three important things:

1. To look to the past with gratitude.

We have a beautiful graced history in which God calls us as His Disciples to read the signs of the times with the eyes of faith and to respond creatively to the needs of the church and the world.

2. To live the present with passion.

We strive to listen attentively to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church today, to be interiorly united to Christ – “For to me to live is Christ” [Phil 1:21]. 

3. To embrace the future with hope.

Amidst the many uncertainties, the call is to practice the virtue of hope, the fruit of our faith in the Lord of history, who continues to tell us: “Be not afraid … for I am with you” [Jer. 1:8].

Our prayer is to look at the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion, and to embrace the future with hope. As a parish family we reflect upon what that may look like and for us it is, and has been about, being a Missionary Parish.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, when visiting one of the parishes in the Diocese of Rome, told the parishioners:

Let us not wait for others to bring different messages, which do not lead to

authentic life. You yourselves must become missionaries of Christ to your

brothers and sisters wherever they live, work, study or pass their free time…

Faith must be lived together, and the parish is the place in which we learn to live

our faith as part of the “us” of the Church.

Parishes, then, are called to be “missionary” — not to foreign countries — but first of all to those immediately around them. This is the new evangelization spoken of us so often by St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and most recently, Pope Francis. This mission of evangelization, of proclaiming and living the gospel message, belongs to every baptized member of the Church. So, what does a “missionary parish” look like?

To begin with, a missionary parish reaches out to those who do not know Christ by welcoming them and sharing the Good News with them. Now more than ever this is a mission to other Catholics who no longer actively practice their faith, as well as to non-Christians. A missionary parish is a welcoming environment for any and all who come to it, regardless of race, ethnic origin, social status or personal situation.

St Mary of the Visitation Parish achieves this through its sense of family, it authentic welcome, its priority of hospitality whether in the Parking Lot, the entry way, our Cafe or in the pews themselves. We make our mark here by truly desiring to invite and include, and to ensuring that there is "something for everyone and a place for all."

A missionary parish is also one that educates and forms its members in the faith so that they can live their discipleship completely. This includes preparing adults and children to celebrate the sacraments fully and fruitfully; training people for leadership roles in the community; and forming parishioners to recognize and undertake works of service and justice in the town or city or region where the parish is located.

This is done in process, but also in our case very much done through Small Groups which seek to make Sunday Matter all week long. This is also achieved in our community through parish based sacramental preparation, through vibrant children and youth ministries, through an adult education focus, through high rates of parishioner involvement in liturgical ministries, and through a collaborative team leadership model.

Lastly, a missionary parish continues to spiritually strengthen parishioners to live their faith boldly and to share it through witness and outreach to others. A parish marked by a missionary spirit is one whose presence in society is made visible and lasting through involvement in social projects, particularly those that serve the poor and marginalized and promote everyone’s right to life and the blessings due to every human person. A parish that is “missionary-oriented” is one where witness of word is matched by witness of life.

Our banner flies high here through a comprehensive outreach program that seeking to be a hand of hope not only across the city with such things as our Service Saturday, Neighbourhood Ministry and local outreach partnerships, but also across the world, with overseas commitments in Haiti, Kenya and Jerusalem which have included missions trips and pilgrimage visits.

This missionary focus is already to be found in many ways and in many instances in our parish. But it must increase and become the main characteristic of life so that we can be what we are really meant to be — communities engaged in the mission give to the Church by Jesus himself, to make it possible for others to experience life in the Kingdom of God in our time and in this place.

The ultimate means by which we understand Jesus Christ and truly are missionary in focus is the Eucharist, for the Eucharist is Christ himself, personally and actively present. The embodiment of the paschal mystery, the Eucharist is Jesus’ love for the world unto death, His journey into godforsakenness in order to save the most desperate of sinners, his heart broken open in compassion. And this is why it is through the lens of the Eucharist that Jesus comes most fully and vividly into focus. So our parish will continue to be Eucharistic and our Adoration Chapel our true power house for prayer, and the Lord's Day the central time we gather and the reason for why we do what we do.

I am excited for 2017......as my nephew says at the start of so many things in his life...bring it on!