Christmas, we are told, is a time for family. And even where the religious significance of Christmas has been forgotten or reduced to something marginal, it remains the central family feast of the year: a time not only to give gifts, but for families to come together, to reconcile differences, t
Last week, facing the hard news of another pandemic wave, fuelled by yet another new variant, our Archbishop Christian Lepine published a pastoral letter entitled “The Door of the Manger is Always Open”. He speaks to us
Today, we acclaim Jesus as our King. But just what kind of King is Jesus, anyway? Was Jesus born in a palace – or a stable? Did Jesus grow up in a big city, as part of a rich and powerful family? Or as the son of a humble carpenter, in an obscure village in the back of beyond?
Over the past weeks, we have all been shocked, saddened, and ashamed by the revelations of the discovery of the unmarked graves of the first 215 children at the Kamloops Residential School, and now, over 750 at a similar school in Saskatchewan. If the untimely or unnecessary death of even one ch
On this fifth Sunday of Easter, we are presented with this beautiful image of the vine and the branches, from the 15th chapter of St. John’s Gospel. Reading it over several times, I was struck especially by the word “abide”, which appears eight times in these eight verses, and the phrase “bear fruit”, which recurs four times. What might these phrases/thoughts mean to us, here and now? Where and how are we being called to “abide”, to connect, to find our home? And what is the fruit that we are being called to bear – as individuals, as parish communities, as global community?
Have you ever had an experience in your life so wonderful, you didn’t want it to ever end? Often, they are very short-lived experiences – a beautiful sunset, the feeling of connection with a friend, the ecstasy of falling in love, an exceptionally fine glass of wine, a beautiful dream from which
One of the more hopeful signs of this time of pandemic, with the reduction of social interaction for many people, has been an openness of exploring their inner life, their spiritual dimension. This week, Jesuit author Fr.
This coming Friday, I have been invited to give a keynote address at the annual (virtual this year!) gathering of the Canadian Catholic Students’ Association. As a former campus minister – and of course, university student – it is a community that is close to my heart. Their theme this year, in
Today, the Christmas season comes to a close with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. It is a feast of relatively recent origin. We are used to the dynamic of the four weeks of Advent leading into the so-called “twelve days of Christmas”, stretching from December 25th to the Solemn
Christmas, the story goes, is a time for family. And even where the religious significance of Christmas has been forgotten or is marginalized, it remains the central family feast of the year. It is a time not only to give gifts, but for families to come together, to put aside differences, to ta
St. Monica's Parish