WEDDING....

Wedding homily 

Good afternoon everyone, on behalf of St. John the Baptist Church, we are so happy to welcome Paige, Phillipe who are going to unite themselves in the Sacrament of holy Matrimony and their family members, relatives, friends and everyone here today.  

Today two most wonderful events will take place here. God will come to us and giving Himself to us in the Sacred Scripture and in the Holy Eucharist and secondly Phillip and Paige will make a sacred vow to give themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. So, in a special way, let us pray for them. 

Once some men met with their friend and said, “You are almost forty and how come you are not married yet?” The man said, “It’s because I haven’t found a perfect woman yet”. Once I met with a gorgeous woman, but she wasn’t smart and then I met with an amazing and sharp woman, but she wasn’t beautiful. Then finally I met with a beautiful, smart and perfect woman...” Then his friends said and how come you didn’t marry her. The man said, “It’s because she was also looking for a perfect man”. 

Marriage is not about finding a perfect person. It's about two people who love each other with their limitations and conditions; with their ups and downs and say, “Yes” to each other. They say, “Yes” to help each other in their good times and in bad and in their sickness and health. 

As they say “Yes” in the presence of God in Christ Jesus, they know and believe that they will never be alone, but Christ will be with them. 

Marriage is a sacrament and it means they say yes to each other until they depart from this world and the secret to a great, happy-filled, wonderful marriage is keeping Christ. As you keep Christ at the center of your marriage, your marriage will never fail. You will see great things happen to you both. God bless. 

Rituals and tradition-21 B

21st Sunday-B 

Good morning/evening everyone. Welcome to the best Church in town. 

Once a family invited me for their reunion (family gathering) and they said, “It’s our tradition to meet every year and you can join us too...”. I said “OK” and then at one point, somebody asked me whether my family is in Canada”. And my answer should be, “No, I don’t”. But I said, “Thank God, I don’t”. And then the family feud started, one person is saying, “That’s your son and another person said, “No, it’s your daughter and people were standing around and were looking at them and I went and did something religious, yes, I said, “Jerry, Jerry...” 

Once what happened was, a pilot announced over the intercom that they are all going to die and there is no hope because the flight got some major, major problem. People saw a priest with them and said, “Oh father, we are all going to die and please do something; something religious”. So, the priest got up and you know what he did, he took up a collection”. 

Once there was a famous religious leader and he did everything well according to the tradition and he had a cat. Every time he did prayers and any religious service, the cat used to come and jump up and down and run here and there. So, what he did was, before he did anything religious service, he tied the cat to a pole and thus he did everything. It went for a while and one day, the spiritual Master died, and his disciples continued to do the same, tying the cat to a pole and doing the religious services. Then one day, the cat died, the disciples got so confused and you know what they did, they bought a brand-new cat and tied it to a pole before doing their religious service. Then one of his disciples wrote a beautiful ritual book on how to tie a cat before any religious service. 

Today’s readings explain what true religion is. It is not simply a scrupulous, external observance of rules, laws, traditions and rituals. It is a loving, obedient relationship with God expressed in obeying His Commandments, worshipping Him, recognizing His presence in other human beings and rendering them loving and humble service. Prayers, rituals, Sacraments and religious practices only help us to practice this true religion in our daily lives. 

In those days, in the time of Christ our Lord, the Pharisees and the Scribes and the leaders and the elders imposed so many rituals, rules and regulations on people. They tied up heavy burdens on ordinary everyday god-fearing people but they themselves didn’t want to lift a finger to move them. 

Those Pharisees wanted to be addresses as ‘Rabbi’. They wanted to sit in the seat of honor in the synagogue and be greeted in public places and so many other things. They imposed so many religious rituals and customs on ordinary people and they themselves didn’t observe at all. And that is why Christ our Lord called them as white-washed tombs. They are so beautiful outside but inside full of dead people’s bones and filth.  

Religious rituals and customs should liberate a person from sin and they should show the way to the God the Father.  

Those Pharisees and Scribes were teaching the people only the rituals and religious customs not the love, kindness and forgiveness of God almighty. 

Once a man invented fire and he got so excited and went everywhere teaching the people how to make fire and cook. People loved the fire-man and his fame began to spread everywhere and what happened was the religious leaders became so jealous of him and killed him. Then, they made a people statue of him and installed in every synagogue and temples and beside the statue they also put the instruments that he used to make fire and thus people used so many rituals to worship him but forgot how to make fire. 

True religion teaches to make ‘Fire’ not just worship the instruments that helped to make the fire. And if we ever use any ritual, let us use it not to wash our cloths, hands and feet but to wash our hearts, mind, body and soul and thus to unite ourselves with Christ the one who is the way to life. Amen. 

  

22nd sunday-B

22 Sunday in ordinary time 

Good evening/ morning everyone, on the other day, a man said, “Oh Father, you won my heart and after what I said, I don’t see him anymore. All I said was, “I don’t want your heart. Give me one of your kidneys”. 

Once Genie appeared to a man saying, “I am going to fulfill two of your wishes and ask for anything. The man got so excited and said, ‘I would like to have a million-dollar cash and an amazing, gentle, compassionate and kind woman”. And within a minute he a million-dollar cash and next to him was Mother Teresa. 

After death, Mother Teresa directly went to heaven and God said, “Are you hungry and when she said, “yes”. God opened a can of tuna fish and made her a nice tuna sandwich. As she was eating, she saw below down the hell, people were eating good gourmet food. This was going on for many days. Then one day, she said to God, “God, how come we are eating tuna sandwich and there in hell, people are enjoying gourmet food. God looked at her and said, “why cook, we just two of us here”. 

The Pharisees and the Scribes; the leaders and the elders; the Rabbis and everyday people came to our Lord Jesus Christ. Crowds and crowds of people were constantly coming to our Lord Jesus Christ. Where Christ our Lord went, there they also went. Where He was, there they were too. It’s because He showed the unconditional love and the unlimited forgiveness of God Almighty. It’s because, He healed the sick and raised so many to life; Christ did miracles and wonders among them and it’s because He showed the way to the Father saying, “No one can go to the Father except through Me. I am the way, the truth and the life”. 

Christ our Lord wants us all to be with Him forever. He does not want anyone of His followers, disciples, apostles and others to be perished or disappeared. He wants us all to have an immortal life, a life that has no end. 

That is why Christ our Lord revealed the secret to immortal life. He slowly began to reveal that unimaginable glory and eternal life.  

The Pharisees and the Scribes and others did not understand Him at all. Since they were so conditioned by human way of thinking and human way of doing things, it was not that easy for them to understand a life that would have no end. 

Christ then talked to them about their ancestors, the chosen people who were liberated from Egypt. As they came to through the sea to the desert, they gathered around Moses and began to praise and glorify God for their liberation, but it didn’t last for long. Soon they began to complain, grumble and go against God and Moses, saying, “If we were in Egypt, we might have some whips on our back, but our belly would be full and why did you bring us here to die. That is why they say, “It was easy for Moses to bring the people out of Egypt but not that easy to take Egypt out of Israel”. 

Jesus then give them the secret to immortality saying, “I am the living bread that comes down from heaven. And anyone who eats this bread will never die but have life that will never end” 

When people heard this, the first thing they said was, “This is so hard. It's very difficult teaching and who could follow it... and thus so many went away from Christ disappointed. But Christ who gave secret to eternal life and who opened a new way to paradise looked at His own apostles and said, “Do you also wish to go away from me....”  

After being with Christ, seeing His wonders and miracles and His promises and life, they said to Christ, “To whom can we go, you have the words of eternal life”. 

Conclusion: yes, Christ has the secret to eternal life and there is nothing out there. Everything comes from Him and ends in Him, so let us receive the living Christ the body of Christ and live with Him forever. Amen. 

LOUISE MCNIEL

Louis Mcneil... 

Good after everyone, on behalf of St. Joseph’s Church, I would like to extend our deepest sympathy and prayers to Joseph the beloved husband of our departed sister Louis and the family members, relatives, friends and parishioners and everyone here today. We would like to welcome Fr. Joe from St. Paul’s church in Gravenhurst and Fr. Joseph Vano. 

Friends in Christ Jesus, we are here today to thank God Almighty for our beloved departed sister Louise. Our God is full of love and compassion and His kindness surpasses everything else. He showered upon our sister His unlimited blessings and through His only Son Christ our Lord saved her from eternal damnation and by showering upon her the gifts of the Holy Spirit made her a new spiritual being. So, let us thank Him for all the good things that our sister enjoyed and experienced in her life. Let us also pray for ourselves that one day, we might join our sister and all the saints, holy men and women to praise and glorify God Almighty. 

Homily... 

Dear friends in Christ Jesus, 

Faced with death, life might seem meaningless, even our thoughts, words and actions could easily lose their meaning but provided death life is not meaningless and provided death our thoughts, words and actions are not meaningless. Yes, for us baptized in Christ our Lord, life has a deep rich and spiritual meaning. Living is glory and dying is a gain for us. It’s because after Baptism and after accepting Christ our Lord as our personal Savior and Lord, it’s not we who live but Christ lives in us. 

Friends in Christ Jesus, out of love, God our Father created everything and out of love, He made us in His own image and likeness. When God created us, when God created everything, He said, “It is good”. Thus, there was no pain, no suffering and not even death. People lived forever experiencing only happiness and joy and experiencing only love and more love. But as our parents went away from God and then guilt and pain; suffering and death entered this world. 

But at the same time, we know because of our faith in God and because of coming to Church, reading the Holy Bible and putting our faith into practice that God would never abandon His children. He would never go away from us. Yes, our God is slow to anger and ready to forgive and He wants every one of us to be happy and live forever.  

So, the loving God to save us sent His prophets, holy men and women and at last at the fullness of time, His Only Son our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ the Only Son of God by dying on the cross destroyed our death and by rising restored our life and anyone who believes in Christ will never die but have life, yes, life that will never end. 

And the parents of Louise believed in Christ and decided to have her baptized and on the day of Baptism the same voice that was heard by all at Jordan when Jesus was baptized, “Behold my son, with whom I am well pleased” echoed again saying, “Louise, you are my child and with you I am so happy”. 

Through the sacrament of baptism, our friend became a precious child of God and on the day of her baptism, a seed of divine love was sowed deep in her heart. 

Yes, our friend was given that special blessing to nurture and experience the love of God. Every time we come to Church or put her faith into practice, that seed of love began to grow taller and taller towards heaven. 

And at the same time, it’s our human weakness that we begin to question, doubt and go away from the love of God and thus forget to nourish and look after that seed of love and our faith in God begins to waver. But at the same time, Christ never leaves us alone or abandon us. So, He instituted the sacrament of reconciliation where our friend Louise over and over again heard that our God is not a punishing God, but He loves and forgives. Yes, every time she went to the sacrament of reconciliation, all she heard was her sins were completely forgiven and she should go in peace. That is called the unconditional love and unlimited forgiveness. Christ loves and forgives all our sins. Thus, she began to water and nurture the seed of love and began to grow it taller. 

Our friend Louise was highly blessed to receive the real body and blood of Christ. Yes, every time, she came to Church and received the real body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, she became like Christ, full of love and compassion. Christ our Lord promises in the Holy Bible saying, “Anyone who eats the flesh of the Son of God and drinks His blood will never taste death instead that person be given eternal life, a life that will have no end. Louise accepted Christ as her personal Savior and Lord and received the body of Christ. Thus, the seed of faith that fell in her on the day of her baptism became a tree of life through which she reached heaven. Today she is with God celebrating life everlasting. 

Because of faith in Christ, her love began to extend towards this community and others. She was an active member of this community for many years. She was involved with St. Joseph’s music ministry over ten years and by looking around and seeing so many of our parishioners here, you should know how much she loved the Church and how people respected and loved her. 

In today’s gospel, 

Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts troubled. Trust in God still and trust in me. There are many mansions in my Father’s house, if they were not, I would have told you. I am going to the Father, not to abandon you but to prepare a place for you. So that where I am, you may be too. You know the place to where I am going. And Thomas said, “Jesus, Master, we do not know where you are going and how can we know the way...please show us the way”. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one can go to the Father except through me”. 

Yes, our friend Louise accepted Christ as her only way. Every time Fr. Joseph or I went to see her we could see how she witnessed her faith and today she is with God. So, let us thank God for our sister Louise and in a special way, let us pray for ourselves that one day we may join our sister and all the saints and holy men and women to praise and glorify God. Amen.