The celebration of Easter is for all Christians the highpoint of our year of faith. At Easter we celebrate the fact that Christ has risen from the dead and destroyed death for all who place their hope in Him. Easter means that, because of Christ’s resurrection, we shall not die but rather we are all invited to spend eternity with our loving God in heaven. At Easter we think of our loved ones who have died and we rejoice that they have been spared death because of Christ’s resurrection and are with Him in heaven for all eternity. Ultimately, at Easter we celebrate that God loves us so much that He destroyed death so that He might spend eternity with each of us. Easter is the greatest celebration of God’s unconditional and undying love for each of us; a love so strong that death cannot destroy it.

The Good News about Christ’s resurrection and His destruction of death is so overwhelmingly joyful that it can sometimes overshadow another aspect of Christ’s victory. Christ’s resurrection from the dead is so powerful that not only does it destroy death, it also destroys all other barriers which stand in the way of our encountering Him—even the barriers of time and space. Christ’s resurrection does not just announce God’s desire to be with us in heaven; it also proclaims His passion to love and live with us today. God the Father raised Jesus from the dead not so that He could live with His disciples and apostles once they got to heaven. The Father rose Jesus up in order that all people of all times and places could live in communion with Himself and the other persons of the Holy Trinity at every moment in time and history. Easter celebrates the fact that God will not let anything stand in the way of His love for us. At Easter we celebrate that God’s love is so strong for us that He cannot wait to be with us in heaven. God loves us so much that He desires to be with us “today.” All that is required for this to happen is that we open our hearts to His presence. Continue reading →

“Father, Forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

At that moment in history when humanity had committed its greatest offense against God—when Jesus had been handed over to death by His friend Judas, betrayed by Peter, hung upon a cross to be executed, and people sneered and jeered at Him as He suffered to save the world—Jesus’ response is profound passion for His people:

“Father, Forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

As Pope Francis has said when he proclaimed this year as the Year of Mercy, “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.” This week, Holy Week, as we celebrate the great mysteries of our salvation, we participate in the great events of God’s mercy. These events are all recounted in this Sunday’s reading of the Passion narrative from the Gospel of Luke. As we celebrate this Sunday Passion or Palm Sunday, we hear how soon after Jesus was gloriously welcomed into Jerusalem as that city’s Savior, He celebrated the Jewish Passover with His disciples and was then betrayed and put to death. Continue reading →

Last weekend I went to see the movie “Risen” with Father Frank Portelli, while he was here to preach for ShareLife. This movie presents the story of a Roman centurion who is given the job of guarding Jesus’ body after the crucifixion so that His disciples will not steel it and say that He has risen from the dead. What I found to be really insightful about this film was the way in which Christ’s resurrection changed His disciples and the manner in which he related so intimately with them as His friends. Continue reading →

Over the past two weeks, I was away visiting my parents at what has become their home in the United States. Now because I was born and grew up here in Toronto, and they did not move to the United States until I was finished university, I always feel like I am a visitor when I go down to visit them. In fact, I have never gotten used to the streets in the city where they live and the constant development in the area makes me feel like each visit is a visit to a new place. For that reason, I am very happy that they have GPS in their cars. Whenever I go anywhere on my own, I always set the GPS to my desired destination and rely on the good assistance of the person who speaks to me from that tiny little devise. Now as hard as I try to follow the good directions that I am given by the GPS, my parents live in a place where there are lots of fancy bridges and over-passes. I usually miss a turn here and there and inevitably go the wrong way. In fact, on occasion I am actually convinced that I actually know the correct way to go and ignore the GPS and head off on my own route. Continue reading →

Baptism of Christ by Greg Olsen

For many people, whenever they hear that Jesus was baptized, one of the first questions that come to their minds is: why? Why did Jesus have to be baptized? If Baptism is the sacrament that cleanses us from sin and re-establishes us in relationship with God, why did Jesus, who was born without sin and was always in relationship with God, need to be Baptized?

Now obviously the answer is that Jesus did not have to be baptized for the same reasons that we need to be baptized. Jesus did not need to be baptized in order to have His sins forgiven. He did not need to be baptized to be re-established in relationship with God. The reason that Jesus was baptized was entirely different from the reasons we are baptized. Jesus was baptized in order that He could teach us by His example. He came into the world to be the way, the truth and the life for all believers. His baptism allows Him to teach us how we are to be reconciled with the Father and the manner in which we are to share in the Divine life that He came to share with us. As the Holy Spirit comes down upon Him at His baptism, it announces to us that we will be given this gift of the Holy Spirit when we are baptized. As the Father proclaims that Jesus is His beloved Son when He is baptized, we learn that through our own baptisms we become God’s beloved children and are to call upon Him as our Father through the graces of this great Sacrament. Jesus takes up His mission after His baptism so that we might understand that through our own baptisms we too have received a mission and are called to be Disciples of Christ through the celebration of this great sacrament. Continue reading →

A few weeks ago, I was walking between the Centre and the Church when someone stopped me on Bathurst Street and rolled down their window and demanded that I give them a blessing as they were driving by on the street. My first inclination was to try and have a conversation with them to find out what they thought that a blessing signified. However, as the traffic was heavy and they were in a hurry, they got a little angry with me and demanded that I stop my small talk and quickly give them a blessing before they drove off. This experience got me to thinking that many people may not even know what a blessing signifies or be aware of what is required for a blessing to really be of any value. Continue reading →

Every year, on the first Sunday following Christmas, the Church celebrates the beautiful feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The purpose of this beautiful feast is to remind each and every one of us that the most important place where we are to encounter God’s love for us is within the family. Like all of us, Jesus was born into a human family so that we might all be reminded that it is first and foremost within the family that we are to make Christ’s love present to our brothers and sisters and where we are to encounter the love and acceptance that we all desire and long to know. This beautiful feast is to remind all of us that every family – mine and yours – is a sacred place where God’s love is to be encountered. Continue reading →

My Dear Brothers and Sisters at St. Peter’s Parish:

One of the greatest signs of God’s mercy to all of us is that of the birth of His Son in a poor manger in order that we might all have eternal life. The poverty of the manger and the fact that Christ comes to us as a baby proclaims that God wishes to come to every human being— no matter what their position or status in the world. As a baby, Christ comes so that all might desire to pick Him up and welcome Him into their hearts. No one is afraid of a child. Children are welcomed with love. God who loves us unconditionally wants us to welcome Him without fear and without reservation. His love and mercy is for all people and it comes to us freely in Jesus Christ, whom Pope Francis has called “the face of the Father’s Mercy.” I pray that all of us during the coming Year of Mercy may grow and experience God’s love and mercy for each of us as it comes to us in Christ the Lord. Continue reading →

The Nativity by El Grecco

The Nativity Scene is one of the most beloved symbols in Christianity. It is perhaps one of the most painted scenes in the history of art. At this time of the year, Nativity scenes are set up with great love and devotion in homes and churches around the world. Before the celebration of Jesus’ birth on Christmas Day, the Nativity or empty Manger proclaims the anticipation of a people who await the coming of God’s love in their midst. After the celebration of Christ’s birth, when the baby Jesus is placed in the Manger, the Nativity scene proclaims the presence of a loving God with His people. The birth of Christ into the poverty of the Manger not only proclaims God’s love for us, but it announces boldly the extent to which God goes to show us His love for every single person. Born into absolute poverty, Jesus wishes to show us that there is nothing that will get in the way of His loving us. No matter where we find ourselves in this world, He desire to come among us and be our God. He is truly God with us— or as the scriptures call Him, Emmanuel. Within the context of this Year of Mercy the Manger takes on the significance as that place which can be called no other than The Cradle of God’s Mercy. There is only one sign more powerful for Christians and that is the sign of the Cross, which within the context of this year must be called the Throne of God’s Mercy. Continue reading →

Did you hear that? Do you know what it means? Can you believe it?

Because I cannot be with my family for Christmas, I always go down to see them the week before Advent. When I was down to visit them a few weeks ago, I had a little extra time to see some movies I have wanted to watch. One extremely inspiring movie that I was able to see was called “The 33.” Continue reading →