This week's Pastor's Corner is by Robert Assaly who is a full-time stagiaire at St. Monica's Parish.
"The Church must breathe with her two lungs". So wrote Pope Saint John Paul II 22 years ago in “Ut Unum Sint”. These lungs to which he refers are the Western (Roman Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) churches, known as “Sister Churches” since the lifting of their nearly millennium old mutual excommunications. One Body, two lungs — of which the Holy Father asserted must become a “unity bestowed by the Holy Spirit.” This is the same Spirit of today’s Gospel reading which Jesus, on the night before he died, promised the apostles His Father would send. No doubt, in using the “lungs” metaphor, the Pope had in mind that the biblical word for breath and Spirit are the same, and that the Eastern churches emphasize the Holy Spirit.
What makes a “house” a “home”? If we believe the real-estate agents, the value of a home is defined by external factors: size of the lot, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, richness of decoration, perks like a finished basement, a remodelled kitchen, and all the modern gadgets that make life easier and more comfortable. And of course, ... location, location, location! (Try Toronto and Vancouver!)
This Sunday’s Gospel invites us to reflect on our life as a journey. Like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, we may be running away from something that seems too heavy to bear: our grief, our shame, our disappointments, our fears. When our hearts are heavy, our steps are slowed, our vision clouded by tears, it isn’t easy to see or to believe. As we share our experiences with others we meet along the way, we are often unaware that the Risen Christ is walking with us.
This past year, the world of music and literature lost an iconic figure: Montreal’s very own Leonard Cohen. Though Jewish by birth, he was strongly influenced by Buddhism, and often used explicitly Christian images in his songs. Consider these lyrics from “Show Me The Place”:
The Easter Triduum: Jesus, the Face of the Father’s Mercy
April 8, 2017
As we have journeyed as a parish through Lent, we have heard and responded to Jesus’ message of mercy. On Ash Wednesday, we embraced the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. This Tuesday, April 11, there will be a RECONCILIATION SERVICE led by Robert Assaly at 7:30 p.m.
St. Monica's Parish