There is a rather simple story about death that I heard several years ago. Because it captures so concisely how I think we as Christians feel about death, I usually tell this story at every funeral I celebrate, either at the funeral home prayers or in the homily at Mass.

The story simply goes like this:

A preacher was preaching to a congregation. He said, “if anyone wants to go to heaven, please stand up now.” Everyone in the congregation stood up. He then said, “if you want to go now, keep standing.” At this point, everyone sat down. Continue reading →

If a stranger calls you on the phone, it is very hard to know if what they tell you about themselves is true. They can claim to be tall, when in fact they are very short. They can promise you a free vacation in a dream paradise, when in reality they are simply trying to get your credit card number. They can also claim to be calling on behalf of Revenue Canada and require your soc The same is true for e-mail. We can receive an e-mail from someone claiming to be other then they are and asking us to send them money. Others make outrageous promises to deposit large amounts in our bank accounts if we send them our banking information and passwords.

We can only really be sure that someone is who they claim to be when they come into our presence and prove that they can deliver on the promises that they make to us. Even in the case of people we do know, unless they live among us and show us that we can trust them, it is hard to know if they can fulfill the big promises that they might make to us.

The promises that Jesus makes to us are huge. Continue reading →

A few years ago, I sat in on one of the parish’s confirmation classes. On that particular day, when I was dropping by to sit in, the class was engaged in playing a rather different game, which I would call the “Injustice Game.” The purpose of this exercise was to attempt to get the students angry about injustice in the world and to motivate them to desire to do something against that injustice as they became aware of it. In relation to the goals of preparation for Confirmation, the exercise was intended to help these young Christians understand that through the anointing they received at Confirmation, they were being called to witness to Christ and the values of His Gospel in their day to day lives. The game was intended to help them see that the adult Christian, who has been anointed in Confirmation, is called to speak up against discrimination and injustice. Continue reading →

Imagine what it would be like if Canada Post only delivered on one day during each person’s entire life. On that day, the individual would receive every letter and every bill from his or her lifetime. The experience would be overwhelming and would crush the person who attempted to deal with this lifetime of correspondence in a day.

Sometimes, I think we can all loose perspective on life and think that we must handle all of our life’s problems on our own—all in a day.

This is certainly what I did when the events of COVID 19 started to develop last March. Instead of taking things one day at a time, one thing at a time, I began to panic and believe that I had to solve every possible concern facing myself and the parish, on my own and in that moment. Continue reading →

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading from Matthew, we hear the miraculous story of the feeding of the five thousand. As we hear of this incredible miracle, we might be tempted to ask ourselves why five thousand? Why did Jesus feed only five thousand?

Well, I think the readings also hint at the answer to this question. Jesus only fed five thousand because there were only five thousand there to receive what He offered. In fact, the scriptures indicate that He actually fed more than five thousand, as the Gospel actually says: “And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

Jesus fed everyone who came to Him to be fed. He still does this today. Continue reading →

A few weeks ago, I was speaking with a friend from high school. He was sharing with me how a few of his wealthy friends had helped him make it through COVID 19. One of his wealthy friends had given him a contract to do some work shortly after he had lost his fulltime employment. Another friend had allowed him to live in a spare condominium that he owned. Still another friend had loaned him a car to get to work during the pandemic. Despite all of this assistance from others, this person still appeared to be worried and anxious about the future.

As I thought about this individual, and the way many of his wealthy friends had helped him out during the COVID 19 pandemic, this week’s reading about the hidden treasure and pearl of great value got me to thinking about some of the super-rich people who have helped me out during this pandemic. I thought today, I would tell you about some of my rich friends who have helped me out during this pandemic. Continue reading →

The readings that we hear this Sunday, on the Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, touch on some of the most difficult questions that we as Christians might find ourselves struggling with before God. These questions are: How is it possible that God allows evil to exist and grow alongside the good? Why are so many crimes left unpunished by God or treated so leniently? Why, in sum, is there this sort of permissive attitude on God’s part, as if He did not have the means to punish evil and check its spread?

I remember being asked questions like these a few years ago by the candidates to the parish’s confirmation class. It seemed at the time that the best way to answer this question was based in the answer that is always right when it comes to God, so I said “because God is love.” Continue reading →

In the Eastern Rites, before the Gospel is proclaimed, the announcement is made to the assembly: “Wisdom: Let us be attentive.” This seems to be a good summary of what Jesus is asking us to understand as He tells the Parable of the Seed and the Sower in this Sunday’s Gospel from Matthew.  His message is that God’s Word has been sent for us to hear, we are responsible for whether our hearts are open to receive it.

A few years ago, I was flying down to visit my parents. As I sat on the plane, I was reading a copy of the Youth Catechism (YouCat). Although the lady seated next to me had a large book of her own, she was clearly more interested in the book that I was reading. I noticed that she kept gazing over at my book and trying to make eye contact. After a while I looked up and smiled at her. As soon as our eyes connected, she asked me if I was a Catholic. The second that I replied that I was a Catholic priest, she could not wait to tell me that she used to be a Catholic but was now a member of the Church of Scientology. With great joy and excitement, she showed me a huge book written by L. Ron Hubbard and told me that she had read almost all of his books. Continue reading →

On the first weekend in March that we were told that we could not celebrate Mass publicly in our churches, I had what I can only describe as a panic attack. During the first few weeks of the closure of the churches, I struggled with a great deal of anxiety. I was terribly worried about how our parish, which struggles financially under normal circumstances, was going to pay its bills through this crisis. I was fearful that it would be necessary to lay off our parish staff and I did not know how I was going to look after the parishioners during this time of closure or how our huge property could be maintained without our staff. The anxiety and stress that was causing me to panic was based in the fact that I thought I had to solve these problems on my own and the illusion that I could be in control in these difficult circumstances. Continue reading →