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Message from Fr. Charlie

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Reflection from Fr. Charlie – Solemnity of The Body and Blood of Christ

Exodus 24:3-8 

Hebrews 9:11-15 

Matthew 28:16-20 

In many ways, June is a month of remembering. Those of you who are  graduating remember significant moments in your educational journey. It may be  a time to show a sign of gratitude to a particular teacher who has been a person  who helped you to grow significantly. On June 20th, we remember our dads, living and deceased who have helped form us into the people we are. The people of  Sacred Heart Parish remember their feast day on June 11th of this month. As we celebrate this solemnity, we remember the OT covenant and NT covenant in the  person of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.  

This reading today from the Book of Exodus is a celebration of the covenant  which grounds the new one inaugurated by Jesus Christ. This book celebrates the  ministry of Moses. Remembering does not fix us on to the past but frees us and  gives us the confidence to move forward. The Hebrew people considered blood to  be sacred so it is fitting that as they are sprinkled with it, they acclaim, “All that the Lord has spoken, we will do”. 

In the gospel today, Mark separates the Last Supper on the day of Passover, clearly saying Jesus is the new Passover lamb which we celebrate at each  Eucharist. We continue the remembrance. In Mark’s Church, the Eucharist was  celebrated at the end of the common meal. It contains very similar gestures.  

We know the Eucharist is essential to our faith – the absence of it as this  time highlights that! In time, the Eucharist was celebrated daily; in time the  importance of the reserved sacrament arose; in time the Eucharist for the dying  (Viaticum) gained prominence. 

Pope Francis reminds us, “ Receive Communion every time as if it were the first time.”




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Reflection from Fr. Charlie – Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity

Deuteronomy: 4:32-34, 39-40 

Romans 8:14-17 

Matthew 28:16-20 

If we were together for the Sunday Eucharist, I would use the optional baptismal profession of faith till this Sunday. It is a reminder to us of our initiation into the life of the Trinity which took place at our baptism. As the life of God is relational, so is ours to God and one another. 

This Sunday’s gospel is known as the “Great Commission” – the sending of the disciples out with Jesus. They go forward in faith; yes they believed but also doubted. Does that not hit home to us as the Lord’s disciples? Faith must be coupled with hope. As the letter to the Hebrews tells us, faith is evidence of things hoped for and not seen. It is reaching for the improbable and then graduating to the impossible. The key in this great sending off is the re-assurance by Jesus, “And behold I am with you always. This tells us that wherever doubt takes us, our faith won’t be far behind. 

The setting of the “mountain” is important – it is often a privileged place in the Bible where revelation happens. Galilee is important – this is where Jesus called the disciples – now he sends them. They are sent to proclaim God’s love for all creation. 

One of the takeaways of the pandemic is what I call the “spiritually of communion” – we move through this most effectively with our eyes not fixed on ourselves but the under community, especially those with very little. As we the world, are one community, “the Father is a sun with the Son as rays and the Holy Spirit the heat.” (Pope Francis). 

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Reflection from Fr. Charlie – Pentecost Sunday

Acts: 2-1-11

1 Cor 12: 3b-7,12-13

John 20:19-23

On a past retreat that I was on. Father Dennis Robinson presented the image of the Church as an elephant – it’s so large that we zero in on a certain part and made it the whole. Vatican Council II saw the Church as the People of God – acknowledging the presence of the Holy Spirit in all the baptized.

This reading from the Acts of the Apostles is very familiar to us – Pentecost is Good News. It is often referred to as the “Great Sunday” – God’s spirit cuts across all human barriers and unites what looks divine. That first Pentecost was very dramatic – all were changed, all were sent to proclaim the Good News of Easter.

In John’s gospel, the gift of the Holy Spirit is connected to Easter Sunday and the risen Lord. There is an association with peace, a lasting peace which is found in the pursuit of the truth. The Holy Spirit inhabiting the Church invites humanity into the spirit of reconciliation first witnessed in the language of Pentecost.

This is time when we can continue to witness to the mighty acts of God in my life. In this time of the pandemic, we recently celebrated a week to honour our nurses. We see in them such an example of the working of God. As we continue to hear our Church bells ring at 9 a.m., Noon, 3 & 6:00 p.m. let us pray the “Our Father” for our health care workers.

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Ascension of the Lord

Ascension of the Lord – May 16, 2021

Acts: 1-1-11 

Ephesians 1:17-23

Mark 16:15-20

A quality that is peculiar to the gospel of Mark is the lack of stories of the appearances of the risen Lord. The gospel this Sunday is actually considered to be added on at later time. Mark’s emphasis is to see the risen Christ reflected in discipleship which is part of the mission of the Church in the world.  

The gospel of Mark was likely written to Christians who experienced the persecution of Nero and knew more was on the way. The invitation by Jesus here is to go to all the world, to the whole creation. To do this, the disciple needs a strong sense of mission or “being sent.”

In the Acts of the Apostles, it is important for Jesus to depart before the Holy Spirit is given in this profound way on the feast of Pentecost. The attention must be re-directed from the sky to the community of faith and beyond. This is also about Jesus surrendering the mission to the community. The time Jesus spent with the disciples as risen Lord was a continuation of preaching about the kingdom of God. The difference could have been the way the disciples heard the message.

The Ascension of Jesus is about the power of change and the possibility of transformation, about a God who was willing to reach out to humanity and bring us into divinity.  St. Augustine put it this way…

Although Jesus ascended alone, we also ascend because we are in him by grace.

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5th Sunday of Easter – Beginning the Month of Mary

This weekend, had the Masses been in-person, we would have had Deacon Terry sharing his Homily. We invite you instead to read his words in the PDF below, followed by Fr. Charlie’s message on the Fifth Sunday of Easter.

Read Deacon Terry's Homily

 

Acts 9:26-31 

1 John 3:18-24 

John 15:1-8 

Traditionally, May is a month dedicated to Mary, Our Blessed Mother – the  month ends with the Feast of the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. While  we often refer to Mary as “mother”, she is also a “disciple” of the Lord, the most  perfect one! As disciple, she grew into this, pondering and reflecting on what the  “Christ” event was truly about. 

The Acts of the Apostles present to us today people growing in sainthood,  growing in discipleship. As Paul visits the church in Jerusalem. He is looked upon  with suspicion and doubt – not unusual as he was a recent convert to the faith.  Barnabos is presented here as his sponsor or guarantor – they will be together as  missionaries sent out by the Jerusalem Church. In this, we see the intervention of  the Holy Spirit, which motivates human meditation which is consistent with the  experience of the Church. Some level of submission to the Church is part of  discernment. 

Essential to being a disciple of the Lord is “pruning” – a certain purification  of one’s motives, often involving a good dose of humility. The Old Testament  people as the chosen time had to be open to it as do we. 

The words “remain in me as I remain in you” reminds us how the word of the  Lord turns the vine. Let’s continue to be open to that word by which we grow in  fidelity to the Lord.  

Cyril of Alexandria tells us… 

Like branches growing from a vine, we now draw our life from Christ, and  we cling to his holy commandment in order to preserve this life.




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4th Sunday of Easter – April 25, 2021

Acts 4:7-12 

1 John 3:1-2 

John 10:11-18 

In the liturgy of baptism for infants, the child is anointed with the oil of chrism  immediately following the moment of baptism. It signifies that the child is “set apart” – begins a unique relationship with Jesus in the Church. 

Chrism is used in two other sacraments – Confirmation, Holy Orders – to  signify the person has been set apart.  

This Sunday is known as “VOCATION SUNDAY” – a time to celebrate the  gift of priesthood and religious life to the Church.  

It is also an opportunity to reflect on our basic call as a Christian – a follower  of Jesus Christ. 

We see Peter many times in the Acts of the Apostles using the Scriptures to  reveal more and more about “Who is Jesus?” Peter speaks with assurance as he was  filled with the Holy Spirit and knew he was sent to call others into the Christ event. 

Jesus gives us the well-known image of the Good Shepherd in the gospel  today. The response to the voice of the Shepherd is one in which the word is  “heeded” which implies consistent behaviour with the one who is being followed.  This is carried out through the grace of our baptism. By the love with which Jesus dies for the sheep reveals His love for the Father. 

As we continue to celebrate the new life of the risen Lord, let us continue to  respond in charity with those around us. 

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6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

February 14, 2021 

Leviticus 13:1-2,44-46 

Mark 1:40-45 

During this time of the pandemic, in celebrating the Sacrament of Anointing, the masked priest does not touch the person he is anointing. The laying of hands is  done “at a distance” and the anointing is done with a cotton swab. The sense of  touch is lost but the sacrament is still efficacious, the Lord’s healing is still  celebrated. 

We see here in this reading from Leviticus a fear of those infected with  sickness of the skin. “Leprosy” covered a wide variety of skin diseases that were  considered contagious. It was often concluded that a sickness was the result of  personal sin and so the “threat” was removed from society by keeping the person in  isolation. It was a denial of one’s dignity but also a rejection of those excluding  others. This was the situation Jesus lived in.  

Jesus touches the person and heals him. We do not know whether he became  a disciple of Jesus now or possibly later after the paschal mystery is complete. One  thing that is clear in Mark’s gospel is that Jesus is not just about miracles! 

This requirement to go the “priests” who represent the community is  significant. They are welcomed back, hopefully not under suspicion but totally. The  lesson for us is to see ourselves as part of that welcoming community. During this  time, there may be an opportunity for us to welcome back someone whom we may  deem “unclean”. We make mistakes, others make mistakes but the lesson is that none of us are mistakes!!




FrCharlieJordan

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Deuteronomy 18:15-20 

Mark 1:21-28 

As I’ve mentioned several times in the past, the central focus of Mark’s gospel  is that of discipleship. Jesus is the teacher, the person of authority and power and  the disciples are to learn from him how to use this influence properly. 

For the Israelite people, Moses was the go-to guy for the entire nation. He  was the lawgiver, the argument decider, the meal supplier, not to mention the direct  mediator between God and the people. Just before he passed all this on, Moses predicted the arrival of a profit like himself – the Messiah. This anticipated one  became the Teaching of Righteousness who aroused a considerable amount of  curiosity.  

Jesus understood the proper use of authority he used it to fight sickness,  demons, ignorance and sin. Jesus knew when it was time to “correct” an individual or simply offer mercy and forgiveness. Sometimes both were required. Jesus’ announcement of the Good News drew followers – disciples of various depths of  commitment to the project! 

Sooner or later all of us find ourselves in position of authority. Some are in  public office, church leadership, teachers, heads of task forces. Some will be  parents, doctors, coaches, guidance counsellors, older siblings or mentors.  Sometimes we give advice because we seem wiser than another. In all of this of  course, the basis is TRUST. Authority is the right to be listened to by others – power is the influence one truly has in the position. 

Let us continue to entrust ourselves to the power of Jesus’ Good News. 

Come and See-1

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – “COME AND SEE”

1 Samuel 3:3b-10,19 

John 1:35-42 

There is a story of a couple who became engaged over Christmas. He told her his present for her was on the tree. It was a bulb, it read “Merry Christmas”, then she turned it around, it read, “Will you marry me?” 

Marriage is one of the “particular” vocations in the life of the church – religious life, priesthood and the single life are the others. As different as each is, they share a lot in common. 

We see in the call of Samuel that it took him a while before he is able to be properly disposed to hear. His recognition of the voice of the Lord occurs when he says. “speak Lord, your servant is listening”. He of course needs the wisdom of Eli to help him get there! The setting is importance – it was near the ark which was symbolic of God’s presence. 

The invitation by Jesus to “Come and See” is given after Andrew’s curiosity to find out where Jesus lives. The desire is key to the invitation. We really can’t stay with Jesus if we are not willing to take the journey he is taking. 

In this time of the pandemic, “voices” are important. We strive to listen what is being asked of us by the Lord – we seek his will in a time when it is difficult. Our basic call to be a Christian comes from our baptism – it is not self-serving but one of service. What is the Lord asking me during this time? 

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Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Isaiah 55:1-11 

Mark 1:7-11 

One of the customs that we have in both of our parishes is the “tree of life” present in the sanctuary during the Christmas Season. One of the symbols is that of the dove- each dove has the name of each person baptized in our parish the past year (next year, we’ll included 2020 +21). 

We know baptism is essential to who we are as Christians – it is our initiation into the life of the faith community in relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Isaiah was very open to the call of God in his life – silence was important for that as well as a listening ear. 

Richard Rohr writes… 

Silence especially loving silence stays with mystery, hold tension, absorbs contradictions and smiles at paradoxes, leaving them unsolved and happily so. 

The Baptism of Jesus in Mark is very foundational for Mark’s gospel as there are no infancy accounts. It is the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry as well as a real identification with humanity, reflecting the sacrament of baptism which would be central to the Christian faith. For Jesus, the unity of the Trinity here is significant as He moves into the future. 

This is a time for us to be grateful for our baptism which allows us to see the “extraordinary” in the ordinary. These are not ordinary times for sure! This is a time when we can become more aware of ourselves as the beloved of God in whom God takes delight. Imagine: God is taking delight in your existence as your read this! As we begin this year of 2021, let us trust that since we are in God’s hands, we will be safe and secure. 

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