The renowned Dominican Preacher Fr. Timothy Radcliffe tells a story which shows how difficult it is for the wealthy to really understand what life is like for the materially poor:

One day, a nine-year old from an aristocratic family was asked by his teacher to write a story about poverty.  After thinking for a moment, he wrote: “Once upon a time, there was a poor family.  The family was very poor.  The father was poor.  The mother was poor.  The children were poor.  The butler was poor.  The cook was poor. The housemaids were poor.  The chauffeur was poor …” 

In the Gospel of John, defending the woman who, before his Passion, has anointed his feet with expensive perfume, Jesus says, “The poor you will always have with you.”  In many ways, this is true: no matter how hard we try to build an egalitarian society, there will always be haves and have-nots, the rich and the poor, those who rise to the top of the system and those who sink to the bottom.  But Jesus did not intend these words in a fatalistic way, as if this must necessarily be the case; nor did he fall into the trap of blaming the poor for their fate.  Jesus specifies: “And you can do good to them whenever you choose.” 

In today’s Gospel, the disturbing parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Jesus indicates that our choice to help or not help the poor has consequences not just for them, but for us.  Jesus tells in story-form here what he says even more clearly in Matthew 25: that our salvation will be linked to what we have done to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, care for the sick, visit the prisoner, make space for the refugee.  Against what Pope Francis has called “the globalization of indifference”, Jesus proposes a universal ethic of solidarity: of care and concern especially for those most in need, what Catholic social teaching calls “the preferential option for the poor.”

We need to be realistic.  We cannot solve, by ourselves, all the social and economic problems in the world.  We cannot rescue every person in need.  That can be a painful admission to make, especially when need strikes close to home. 

There are so many situations all around us – so many stories bouncing around Facebook and Twitter and our various news-sources – and we can easily slip into “compassion overload.”  We get overwhelmed, we become passive, and we begin to think there’s nothing we can do to make a difference. So we don’t.

How can we read this parable today?  Is Jesus just saying, “poor simple people go to heaven and selfish rich people go to hell?”  Or is the parable about the consequences of the sin of indifference: what happens when we look the other way, when we choose to live unaware and uncaring of the suffering around us, dehumanizing the poor and marginalized, treating them as if they do not exist.  But they do.  Always there, always needy, seldom noticed: they are meant to become not just the objects of our charity; but subjects of our concern, our compassion, and our friendship.  Today’s Gospel is an invitation to move from the place of indifference to the place of compassion and solidarity.

Have you been following the Skittles controversy this week?  I always thought Skittles were just brightly-coloured candies, something your dentist tells you to avoid! But last week, they were in the headlines, thanks to comments tweeted by the son of a U.S. Presidential candidate: 

If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you there were three in there that could kill you, would you take a handful? That’s our Syrian refugee problem. 

The next day, the people who manufacture Skittles posted:

Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. This is NOT an appropriate analogy.

A day later, I read what seems to be the best response, which I have slightly amended for language not appropriate for church:

"If I gave you a bowl of skittles, and three of them were poisoned, would you still eat them?"

"Are the other skittles human lives?"

"What?"

"Is there a good chance, a really good chance that I would be saving someone from a war zone, and probably their life, just by eating a skittle?"

"Well sure. But the point is …"

"I would eat the skittles. I would GORGE myself on skittles. I would eat every single skittle I could find. And if I found the poison skittle and died, I would leave behind a legacy of children and friends who also ate skittles until there were none left to be eaten. And we would weep for whoever found the poison skittle. We would weep for their loss, for their sacrifice, and for the fact that they did not surrender to fear, but made the world a better place by eating skittles.

Because your REAL question, the one you are hiding behind an inaccurate, insensitive, dehumanizing, racist candy metaphor is, ”IS MY LIFE, MY SAFETY, MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LIVES AND SAFETY OF THOUSANDS OF TERRIFIED MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN?” What kind of person thinks the answer to that question... is yes?"

Our parish mission statement challenges us to live out the invitation to “act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with our God.”  We are all God’s children, worthy of dignity and respect.  We must reflect this – in our dealings with one another, in the welcome we extend to all who come, in our outreach beyond the walls of this church.  We can’t solve every problem.  But we can begin to make a difference. We can “be the change we want to see in the world.”

I now invite Anna Diodati, our pastoral associate, to speak to us about some of the many ways we will be providing for all of us to grow and deepen our faith, to put it into practice, to be transformed in the Holy Spirit so that we in turn can go out and transform the world. 

(Anna …)

I’d like to close with a message of encouragement to the parents (and grandparents) who are here today.  Your presence tells me that you love your children so much, that you want them to know Jesus, to form a loving and trusting relationship with God, to be members of his church.  You do this when you teach them, through word and example, to keep Jesus’ commandments of love of God, self, and neighbour.  You do this when you pray with them – by bringing them to church, of course, but also by praying with them at home, before meals, at bedtime, teaching by example the importance of praise and thanks to God for his many blessings. 

You do this when you do your best to “walk the talk”, showing your children by example the importance of prayer and worship, compassion and forgiveness, generosity and service, and above all, love.  Thank you for your special and irreplaceable ministry of Christian parenting.  As extended family and friends, as fellow members of your parish community, we are here to support you in your faith, so that together, we can joyfully share this most precious gift of faith in Jesus Christ with a new generation.  

 

Anna Diodati, Pastoral Associate

Brochure Intro – Sept 24-25, 2016

When you sat in your pew today, you noticed that an Adult Faith Education Brochure was put there for you.  Should you not have a copy, please make sure that you pick one up as you leave the church.

We’ve been busy over the summer putting together a program that reflects our theme for this year which is: Transformed by the Holy Spirit.  Fr. Raymond has made reference to our theme in the past weeks, and we are here today to launch our new pastoral year by looking at what to expect in the coming months.

You will notice that our Pentecost banners are up this weekend, as well as two images of the Holy Spirit, one at the ambo and another to welcome you as you enter the church.  The images will be displayed in the church throughout the year to remind and inspire us to be present to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the life of our community.

We believe that our programs, retreats, and workshops will offer you ample opportunities to experience a deeper relationship with the Person of the Holy Spirit.  It is our desire that as you come to experience God’s presence and power, this very same Spirit will transform you and bring you freedom, peace and joy.

In addition to our daily masses at St. Monica’s, and the many opportunities to serve our parish and community, we also provide an adult faith education program whose purpose is to expand and deepen our knowledge of God and our faith.  We invite inspirational guest presenters who enrich our understanding of God by sharing their own experience and knowledge of Him. 

Our brochure gives a chronological outline of the retreats, seminars, workshops, and new this year, a “History of Christianity” course. 

I invite you to follow along with me as I walk through it with you now.

When you open up the brochure, you will notice that we are beginning our year of Adult Faith activities with an autumn retreat on Saturday, October 15.  Inspired by the spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila, whose feast day it is on that day, Elizabeth Koessler will introduce our theme, Transformed by the Holy Spirit.   She will speak to us about how the Holy Spirit transforms us from within, and how that manifests in our life, the lives of our loved ones, and in the world. 

Once the foundation is laid down by Elizabeth, Cathie Macaulay will follow with a workshop which will focus on how a centuries-old spiritual practice called “The Examen” can be used as a simple tool to help us become more attentive, more discerning, and more in step with the Holy Spirit.  The practice takes only a few minutes a day, and can be practiced alone, in a couple, and among family members.  Some families practice the Examen at supper or bedtime, and it is a wonderful way to teach our loved ones how they can be in a more intimate relationship with God and with each other.

In November, we will present the first three parts of our History of Christianity course.  The remaining three sessions will be presented in March of 2017.  This series will help us identify both the signs and counter-signs of the Holy Spirit over two millennia of Church history, and will seek to discern where the Spirit is moving the Church in a post-modern, secular age.

In December, we’ve invited Anne Macaulay, a practicing psychologist, to speak to us about how we can Clear the Way for the Spirit.  We all desire a more intimate relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves, but obstacles can and do block the transformative process of living in the Spirit.  Anne will help us explore these obstacles, and give us strategies on how we can clear the path to living more fully in the Spirit, and therefore, more fully in all our relationships.     

In the new year, we will examine the work of the Holy Spirit in the family and in the environment with the help of Pope Francis’ two important exhortations, The Joy of Love, and Laudato Si’. 

During Christian Unity week, Fr. Raymond will moderate an ecumenical panel of invited guests to discuss how we, as church, are summoned by the Joy of Love to create a culture of welcome, faithfulness, holiness, and loving, life-giving acceptance for all families.  This will be followed by a three session seminar offered by Sr. Maura McGrath, where we will have an opportunity to listen together to Jesus’ call to heal the Earth, through the lens of Laudato Si’.

We are so excited that Fr. Philip Chircop, an internationally renowned Jesuit retreat director, will present our Lenten retreat during the first week of Lent!  Fr. Raymond, a few members of our parish, and I attended a wonderful week-long retreat with him in August, and we were so enriched by the material and manner in which it was presented.  So, please mark March 4 on your calendars to be at the parish when Fr. Philip explores the question, “How Big is Your God?”   During this morning of recollection, we will explore some unhealthy, toxic images of God, and learn how to replace them with images that are life-giving. 

I encourage you to read carefully through the brochure so that you can learn about our other offerings unique to this year dedicated to the Holy Spirit. 

Our regular year-long programs such as Video Divina, Coffee and Conversation, Contemplative Prayer, and Faith Sharing in Small Groups are also described in the brochure. 

Our Coffee and Conversation Sunday morning sessions are purposely scheduled between the two masses to provide the adults of our parish, especially the parents whose children attend Faith First classes, the opportunity to enjoy a cup of coffee while viewing and contemplating together this year’s video series, “The Wild Goose”.  Wild Goose is an ancient Celtic term for the Holy Spirit, and this series will take us on a journey toward a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the Holy Spirit.  Free babysitting is available upon request for parents of preschoolers, and Jennie will be happy to provide care for the Faith First Students who arrive earlier so that their parents can attend. 

At St. Monica’s, we are blessed to have a Faith Sharing program which consists of five groups that meet at different locations and times throughout the year to pray, reflect, and share on important themes of contemporary spirituality.  It is a great way for us to develop a closer relationship with God, and to share our faith experiences with trusted group members.  The reflections we use are enriching and applicable to our daily lives.  If you would like to sample a Faith Sharing session before you commit to the program, I invite you to attend our special “Come and See” session next Saturday, October 1 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.    Please fill out the appropriate “Come and See” registration form before September 28 if you plan to attend. 

We are all blessed that Robert Assaly has joined our pastoral team this year, as he brings many gifts which he shares with us.  In addition to presenting the “History of Christianity” series with Fr. Raymond and Jennifer Dickson, and closing our year of Adult Faith Education activities with our final presentation at the end of April, he will be present to us at the weekend Masses to teach us different ways of communing with the Holy Spirit.  This will include how to pray our hymns, and how to pray with icons. 

We are well aware of the demands that are placed on your lives, no matter what age you are.  It is our hope that you make a point of joining us for some of these events and programs so that we all grow stronger in our personal faith, and in our faith as a community. 

Please keep this brochure where you can reference it often, pick up a copy of the bulletin each week on your way into or out of the church, stop and look at the posters on the standing boards at the 2 entrances, and visit us on Facebook and on our website to know what’s happening at the parish. 

We do take registration for most of our Adult Faith events to help us set up appropriately, and to spare you from coming to the parish to find out that an event was cancelled!  The sign-up sheets are always found at the main church entrance.

If you have any questions at any time, please see me or Fr. Raymond at the weekend masses, or call me at the office during the week.  

Thank you for your attention, and I hope to see you at the events!