Sunday Reflections

At this point in the new year 2021, we are moving quickly into this new year.  What I am noticing is that, among many things, there are anti-Asian feelings of expression developing that are pure racism. In Ontario recently over 500 crimes have recently been committed! These Asian Canadian crimes are on the rise.  Non-Asians are spitting on Asian Canadians.  There is a strong showing of this in Ontario and this is really surprising.

At the present time, Asian Canadians live in fear.  This may be a stereotype but it is very real.  And hurtful!

“Do you swear to tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”

Resurrectionists are called to build, and to teach others to build, a Christian community “in which all can experience the hope, joy, and peace of Christ’s Resurrection” (Charism Statement of the Congregation of the Resurrection).  Our gospel today focuses on the peace that the Risen Lord longs to bestow upon the early disciples and upon us today.  Like the early disciples, we can find ourselves anxious and disturbed, not only by the trials and tribulations of our daily lives, but also by the troubling events of our world.  In the midst of these disconcertin

Our Gospel reading for Easter Sunday tells us about the first Easter Sunday when St.

I always think of this as ‘fickle’ Sunday.  It is the only Sunday in which we hear two Gospels – the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and the Passion.  In the first the people shout, “Hosanna”, “Blessed is he”.  They welcome Him, and put down their cloaks and palm branches to form a carpet for the King of Israel.  Yet, a few days later, the same crowd (with the influence of the Pharisees) are shouting, “Crucify him!”  With which crowd do we want to associate?

Everyone likes good news, and we consider the Word of God to be Good News.  For instance, Jeremiah gives good news to the chosen people about the love of God, expressed in the covenant.  In the gospel Jesus gives bad news to the disciples – He speaks about his death.  That was not what they wanted to hear.  Jesus speaks to them about “the seed” that must die, as He must die.  Only then can the “rich harvest” come to mankind, through his suffering and death, crowned in glory by his resurrection and ascension.  If we truly want to “see Jesus” we must be prepared

St. Paul reminds us of the generous and gracious nature of God’s love for us. Jesus, in John’s Gospel, clearly states the great love that God has for us when he says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish 

Our first reading is Exodus 20:1-17 where God gives the 10 commandments to Moses.  Each of us is somewhat familiar with them, in fact, a few of us can even remember some and then there are those of us who can rhyme off all 10.  Regardless, if we spend some time with them we may feel that they are rather negative, with many: “Thou shall nots”!  Perhaps we can reframe them from restrictions to opportunities to be ceased with joy and enthusiasm.  So today…

I hope for the most part that you have seen that generally speaking the readings for the New Year up to now are clear, concise, pictorial and contain no more details than absolutely needed.

The gospel of the First Sunday of Lent always reveals to us the temptation of Jesus in the desert.  These forty days have made holy our forty days of the Lenten journey, leading us through a time of conversion to celebrate the new life we share with Christ in His death and resurrection.  God assures us that He is with us as we are tempted.  Unfortunately, the evil one knows us well, and knows our weaknesses, and will play on them, trying to convince us that we are unworthy of God’s love and mercy, and that our future is one of fear and shame.  These lies separate us from