The church building that our community presently worships in is the third building that our parish community has occupied. Its construction was begun in 1925 and completed in December of 1926, when our church was dedicated on December 12, 1926. That means that we are beginning the 100th anniversary of our church building. Although we were established as a parish in 1896, a hundred and thirty years ago, this church that we are now in has been our parish home for 100 years.
When a church is built, and set aside as a place for worship, the bishop of the diocese comes and dedicates it. Our church was dedicated in 1926 by Bishop Alexander MacDonald. When a church is dedicated, it is set aside as a place of worship. Within it, the Christian community meets to celebrate the Eucharist and to be built up to be the living Body of Christ in the world. From the celebrations of the liturgy that take place in the building, the Christian community is sent out into the world to continue Christ’s mission and make Jesus present in their day-to-day activities. Because what the Christian community does in the church building is what makes it the church—the living Body of Christ—the building is supposed to be a sign which points to the presence of the Christian community in the area. When people come out of the Bathurst Subway Station and see our church building, it is supposed to be a sign of hope to them, announcing to them the presence of the Christian community. The fact that so many people in need come to our Winter Welcome Table, and office door for assistance, is an indication that we are living up to that sign value. Continue reading
For many people, when they hear of the baptism of Jesus as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord, they ask the question: “why?” Why was Jesus, the sinless Son of God, baptized? The simple answer to this question is to show us the way. Because Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, we Christians are to follow Him and His example. Had He not been baptized, there would have been some Christians, who, attempting to model their lives on Christ’s, would have said, “as Jesus was not baptized, neither will we be baptized.” By being baptized Himself, Christ shows us the great hope that is ours through baptism. As the Holy Spirit is shown to come down on Jesus at His baptism, and He is declared Son of God at His baptism; so too in baptism we receive the Holy Spirit in baptism and become God’s children who are taught that we are to call God “Our Father” in prayer. 
I have often recounted at New Year that one of the things about being here at St. Peter’s Parish that I find a little funny at times, is that often I will be walking along Bathurst, in front of the Church, and as I do so someone will roll down their car window, and stop me on Bathurst Street, to demand that I give them a blessing as they are driving by on the street. My first inclination is to try to have a conversation with them to find out what they think that a blessing signifies. However, as the traffic is often heavy and they are in a hurry, they frequently get a little angry with me and demand that I stop my small talk and quickly give them the blessing that they are seeking before they drive off. These experiences have helped me to realize 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. 
In the coming year of 2025, Pope Francis has asked that the Church observe a Holy Year with the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” The purpose of this year is to emphasize the hope which Christ brings to humanity by being born into our midst. In a world, which for so many reasons has lost hope, we are to be reminded this coming year of the hope that Christ came to bring to all persons.
On this Second Sunday of Advent, the first reading from the book of the prophet Baruch speaks of the dignity that is about to be restored to the city of Jerusalem as those who had been exiled are about to return to the city. The prophet had witnessed the humiliation of Jerusalem, as it had been captured by the Babylonians, and its people were carried off into the Babylonian exile in the years 587-588 B.C.. For the Jewish people, to lose the city of Jerusalem and to be carried away from it was to lose that holy place where they were to encounter and live with God in their midst. God had given them this city and land as a place for them to be His people and live in His presence. The exile from Jerusalem was not unlike the exile from the Garden of Eden experienced by Adam and Eve when they turned away from God through sin. Carried away from Jerusalem, the Jewish people were carried away from the city in which they encountered God in the His Temple. As the prophet speaks about this longed for return to God’s Holy City for the Jewish people, Baruch also speaks about the manner in which God will fill in the valleys of hardship that the people have experienced and make everything as though it had been a smooth plain. This is to state that God’s love will fill up all the voids and hardships that His people had suffered through this time of exile. With God’s love and mercy, all will be well. 
Have you ever had a bright light shone in your eyes? When this happens, it can become impossible to see or notice anything else as a result of the light’s intensity. Many people who perform on stage say that the light can be so bright that even if the theatre is full, all they are able to see in the assembly is the bright light shining in their face. This is an image that I would like to come back to in a few minutes.
There is a man, by the name of Winston, whom you will often find sitting on the rock in front of St. Peter’s Church. Much like the man in the famous statue called ‘The Thinker,” Winston does a lot of thinking. Winston is a person who has been homeless and lived for many years on the streets of our city. Often Winston transports all of his belongings in two or three different grocery carts. He frequently attends the parish’s Winter Welcome Table Program in the Winter. I think Winston reads all of the newspapers that are published in the city and knows about the political situation around the world. Although I do not think that Winston is Catholic, I like to think of Winston as the parish philosopher. He is keenly concerned for justice and desires a solution to many of the world’s problems. When Archbishop Leo visited the parish, he and Winston discussed at length many of the problems and challenges in the world today. Winston, as I believe most of us do, would love to see a world without poverty, war, suffering and injustice. 
In our first reading this Sunday, from the Book of Deuteronomy, we hear the people of Israel asking what other nation has a god who lives so closely with them as the God of Israel dwells with them. They believed that by observing the commandments, they were God’s people and God dwelt with them. As the psalmist proclaims: “The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” As a sign that the Lord lived with them, the people of Israel kept the Ark of the Covenant, containing the Ten Commandments given them by God, in the Temple in Jerusalem.
This Sunday, after six weeks of reading it at the Sunday Masses, we conclude the Bread of Life discourse from the Gospel of John. As it comes to a close, we hear the reaction of those who have heard Jesus say: “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” For many of Jesus’ contemporary listeners, the idea of eating His flesh and drinking His blood is incomprehensible and they reject the idea completely. And yet, while in many other cases when He is misunderstood, He explains himself more clearly, on this matter Jesus does not back away from his insistence that those who wish to have eternal life must consume His Body and drink His Blood. Unable to accept this idea, many of His followers state that it is a teaching that it is difficult to accept. We are told at this point, that many of Jesus’ followers turned away and no longer followed Him. When He asks the twelve if they also wish to leave, they do not indicate that they understand, they simply state that they have nowhere else to go because in faith they affirm that He has the words of eternal life and they have “come to believe and know that [Jesus] is the Holy one of God.”