Blog Archives

How Much?

21/6/2019

A Reflection on the Gospel for June 23rd, 2019:
The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Luke 9.11-17

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured.

The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.”

But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish — unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men.

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Make the people sit down in groups of about fifty each.” They did so and made them all sit down.

And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

These days I find myself asking God, “What do you want from me?” I feel myself pulled in dozens of directions, and lately the struggle has been to discern what He is asking of me. The answer I usually receive is, “Everything”.

My discouraged response is sometimes, “I barely have anything — is the little I have even worth giving?” What could my loaves and fish possibly be worth to Him?

Our pastor expressed a similar sentiment in his homily a few Sundays ago, on giving and tithing. “What more do I have to give?” Sometimes I believe that I’m already giving a lot, and I face my own feelings of frustration when I realize that He is asking for more of me.

It is uncomfortable, to conform to God’s will. He asks me to trust Him, and then when I verbally agree He challenges me to live it out. To hand over my small portion to be divided.

And He challenges me to trust that He will multiply my time, my talent, my treasure, my sleep, my prayer. Everything I give to Him, He increases. Everything I give to Him, He gave me first.

"Everything I give to Him, He gave me first."

It is funny how I can get so possessive over what was never mine to begin with. Even I am not my own — but I forget that I belong to Christ.

When I finally surrender, and acknowledge the truth that I belong to Him, I hand it all over. Everything. And in wonder and awe, I watch as my cooperation with Him helps supply for the needs of others. Together, we feed others — He chooses to involve me in this action. I become Eucharist, with Him.

Lord, give us this day our daily bread. And help me to be generous with Your gift, and offer it back to You to be multiplied.

Kendra Chisholm

0 Comments

Humble Presence

20/6/2019

0 Comments

A Reflection on the Second Reading for June 23rd, 2019:
The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

1 Corinthians 11.23-26

Brothers and sisters: I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

A few years ago I had the pleasure of visiting Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was taking place and I was able to spend some quiet time in prayer before moving on. As I sat in silence, I was taken by the grandeur of the worship area with its beautiful stonework reaching high toward the heavens and the monstrance that directed my eye toward the consecrated host, the body of our Lord and saviour. What struck me was the simplicity of the host — the idea that Jesus, our King, would humble Himself to be present to us in the most basic of foods.

I heard it said in a homily at mass last weekend, God invites us to the table. He invites us to be in communion with Him. He is not a distant ruler waiting for us to screw up, but rather we can sit at the table with Him where He is present to us.

"He is not a distant ruler waiting for us to screw up, but rather we can sit at the table with Him where He is present to us."

“This is my Body that is for you”.

Every time we attend mass, we are blessed to be able to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. Just as He offered Himself up on the cross for us when He walked the earth, He offers Himself up again and again for us. By consuming Jesus’ body and blood, He says we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. We are not bystanders in the mass. We are called to fully participate and to be in communion with all the saints and with one another.

When I receive Jesus in the Eucharist, and I stand back and watch others come forth to receive Him, there is a sense of unity that I have never experienced elsewhere in life. It’s an admittance to the fact that we need Him, and without Him we are nothing. We are all stepping forward in faith together, acknowledging we are all His servants and the humility of that act is beautiful.

Let us Pray:
Father, may we never take for granted the privilege we have to consume You and to become consumed by You. We thank You, that despite our unworthiness, You continue to offer Yourself up to us in the form of a simple piece of bread for us to consume. Lord I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Tammy LeBlanc

0 Comments

Surrender is Calling

19/6/2019

0 Comments

A Reflection on the Psalm for June 23rd, 2019:
The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Psalm 110

R. You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.

The Lord says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”

R. You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.

The Lord sends out from Zion your mighty sceptre. Rule in the midst of your foes.

R. You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.

Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day you lead your forces on the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning, like dew, your youth will come to you.

R. You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

R. You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.

I recently attended an ordination and this was the psalm proclaimed in the liturgy, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

When I think about what a priestly calling is I can’t help but focus on the ordained ministry of priesthood, but the catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that through baptism we all live in Christ and share in everything He has.

“Christ, high priest and unique mediator, has made of the church ‘a kingdom, priests for His God and Father.’ The whole community of believers is, as such, priestly. The faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation, each according to his own vocation, in Christ’s mission as priest, prophet and king.” (CCC 1546)

So how can we share in Christ’s priesthood?

One role of a priest is to offer sacrifice to God. At the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist the priest offers the sacrifice of bread and wine. This sacrifice is a sharing in the sacrifice that Christ offered on the cross. At the recent ordination the Bishop spoke of the sacrifice of giving one’s life to the service of others. He spoke of Christ giving His life for His friends.

"God desires our holiness so when we give up something for Him He grants us the grace to do it."

The word sacrifice for me has always had somewhat of a negative connotation. “What do I have to give up?” Seeing the joy on the face of this newly ordained priest told me that this was no “sacrifice” for him. He was willingly giving his life to serve God’s people. Over the years I have given up many things for God and although it is hard to surrender at first the more I surrender the easier it becomes. Each thing that I surrender brings me joy. God desires our holiness so when we give up something for Him He grants us the grace to do it.

Take a step toward holiness today. Participate in your priestly vocation and sacrifice something to God. Receive the grace, peace, and joy that He will give you for taking that step.

“What can I give Him, poor as I am.
If I were a shepherd I would give a lamb.
If I were a wise man I would do my part.
What can I give Him, Give my heart.”

(In the Bleak Midwinter, Gustav Holst)

Maxine Brown

0 Comments

A Mysterious Encounter

18/6/2019

0 Comments

A Reflection on the First Reading for June 23rd, 2019:
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Genesis 14.18-20

In those days: After Abram’s return King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. He blessed Abram and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him one tenth of everything.

This is a mysterious encounter. In scripture, the chronicles of Abraham are lengthy, but this encounter with Melchizedek is merely a blip in the collective storyline. I could liken this story to my experience of the Eucharist at times—a mere blip. If I’m not vigilant in my prayer life, run down, or tired, receiving the most Holy Body and Blood of Christ can become a minor interruption amidst all the major life events going on around me. I can forget its significance—the gift that it is. This week, though, amidst uncertainty and emotional strain, I became keenly aware of the gift of this offering.

Like Abram, my life is a series of battles. Generally speaking, these battles involve the good wrestling with the evil. Sometimes the evil is present as an external oppression. Other times, the evil is an interior struggle—a self-perpetuated angst. The good news is that the good, should I choose to accept it, is true, consistent, and salvational. The good is the presence of Christ. The key here is, I must choose to accept the good.

"The good news is that the good, should I choose to accept it, is true, consistent, and salvational."

Let’s imagine the center of our being as a vacant circle, vulnerable to an infilling of whatever we pour into it. When we pour in things that are hard and dark—fear, insecurity, anger, judgement (you get the idea)—our circle is heavy and impenetrable. But when we pour in that which is soft and light—love, forgiveness, charity, compassion—our circle can absorb the life that is meant to consume it. And this life triumphs over all the enemies, exteriorly and interiorly, in our day-to-day. Just as the blessing from a righteous priest-king was poured over bread and wine and offered in thanksgiving and celebration of Abram, so is Christ in the Eucharistic Prayer, poured into bread and wine and offered to us in an eternal celebration over all our enemies.

It is a mysterious encounter, the most Holy Body and Blood of Christ truly present in a simple meal of bread and wine, but it is an encounter that has changed the course of my life, and continues to do so each time I choose to accept it. As I walked into the church this past weekend, I did so feeling empty and alone. But the vacancy within caused by my hunger for love and communion, afforded a room for Him to dwell, and as I consumed Him, He consumed me. It then became clear, again for the first time, that every battle I fight has already been won.

Lori MacDonald

0 Comments

<<Previous

Forward>>

How Much?

A Reflection on the Gospel for June 23rd, 2019:The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Humble Presence

A Reflection on the Second Reading for June 23rd, 2019:​The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Surrender is Calling

A Reflection on the Psalm for June 23rd, 2019:The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

A Mysterious Encounter

A Reflection on the First Reading for June 23rd, 2019:The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Archives

A Reflection on the Gospel for June 23rd, 2019:
The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

A Reflection on the Second Reading for June 23rd, 2019:
The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

A Reflection on the Psalm for June 23rd, 2019:
The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

A Reflection on the First Reading for June 23rd, 2019:
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ