Christ the King

 

 

 

Homily Rev. Hezuk Shroff

 

        Today is the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year.  Ever year, we end the Church’s liturgical cycle by celebrating the Kingship of Christ.  But what exactly do we mean when we say that Christ is King?  Even in the Gospel, we see that Pontius Pilate is confused over the whole notion of kingship?  “You are truly king?”, he asks Our Lord.  And Jesus’ reply is very enigmatic, but also very enlightening:  maybe not for Pontius Pilate, but it certainly is for us.  Jesus replies, “My kingdom is not of this world.”  And then he adds, “I came into this world to bear witness to the Truth.  Everyone who belongs to the Truth listens to me.”

        Our Lord Jesus Christ, then, is truly a King.  But his Kingship is not of this world.  It is not a kingship founded on worldly power and strength and might.  It is a Kingship that is founded on Truth.  Jesus Christ is King in the realm of Truth.  What exactly does this mean, and how does it apply to us today, we who desire to be his disciples, faithful to his Commandments and his teachings?

        In the Old Testament, the people of Israel did not originally have a king.  They had patriarchs, elders, and then judges.  But there came a time when the Israelites looked all around them, and saw kings on all their borders.  They became jealous, and so they cried out to God, “We want a king!  We want a king!  We want a king, just like all the other people around us!”  This cry for a king saddened God.  It was never in his divine plan to give his people a king.  Why?  Because he wanted them to understand that he himself was their King!  They did not have a human king because their true King was God himself.  That is what God meant when he said to his people through the prophets, “You shall be my people, and I shall be your God.”  And also, it is what we heard proclaimed in the responsorial psalm:  “The Lord is King; he is robed in majesty!”  Now you have to admit that having God himself as your King is not a shabby deal at all!  And yet that was not enough for the Israelites.  They insisted, “We want a king!  We want a king!”  And so, God finally said to them, “You want a king?  Fine.  I will give you a worldly king.”  And that is when the monarchy was founded among the Israelites.  Some of Israel’s kings were good, others were horrible.  Every king in the Bible was measured against one standard alone:  was he faithful to the Will of God?  In other words, was he faithful to the true King?  Some kings instituted sacrifices to idols or false gods.  Others remained faithful to the one true God of Israel.  Other kings were faithful in terms of how they governed the people, but in themselves, they led very morally questionable lives or frequently fell into sin.  King David is an example of a king who “was after the heart of God”, as the Scriptures say.  And yet, he too fell into moral vices, such as adultery and murder.  But King David repented, and that is what made him so blessed in the eyes of God.

        Finally, the monarchy fell apart among the Israelites.  And despite their attempts to restore it, it was never restored to Israel.  And so, when Christ came into this world among the Jewish people, they had long lived without a king of their own.  The only kings they knew were representatives of their oppressors, the Romans.  And so Our Lord’s response to Pontius Pilate was a bit of a surprise.  He clearly told Pilate that he is truly a king, but not a king in the worldly sense.  And he unites his Kingship to the notion of Truth:  “Whoever belongs to the Truth listens to me.”  This is a very bold claim that Our Lord made.

        Psalm 22 (or 23 in some modern Bibles), begins with the famous words, “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.”  This translation follows the Hebrew version of that psalm.  But the Latin and Greek versions of psalm 22 are very different to the Hebrew.  They both begin the psalm with the words, “The Lord rules over me; there is nothing that I lack.”  These versions of the psalm do not speak of God as being a Shepherd (as the Hebrew version does):  rather, they speak about God as being a ruler over his people:  in other words, God is King!  And so it seems that the Israelites finally understood through the psalms and the prophets why the monarchy had to die:  because they came to a realisation that God himself is the only King that they truly need, and when God rules over you, how can you possibly be in want of anything else -- much less, of an earthly king?

        The Church very consciously applies the words of Psalm 22 (23) to Jesus himself.  “The Lord rules over me” means, for us Christians, “Christ rules over me.”  Christ is therefore the true King, in the fullest sense of the word, because he is not only a man, but God himself, the King of Heaven and earth, incarnate in human flesh. There is a very traditional and triumphant hymn in the Catholic Church that always used to be sung on the Solemnity of Christ the King.  The words and melody were both triumphal in nature, very regal we would say.  In that hymn, we would sing, Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat!  which means, “Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ rules!”  Sadly, it is not heard very often today, except in places where the Traditional Catholic Liturgy is still strong and alive.  Perhaps it is not used today because it appears to sound a bit triumphalistic to modern ears.  But there is nothing triumphalistic about it, in the negative sense.  It is simply a hymn that proclaims the universal Kingship of Christ, over all peoples, all nations, all men and women.  Many who do not accept Christ can deny his kingship over them; but that does not make him any less of a King.  Christ must reign in our hearts, for without him, we can do absolutely nothing. 

        Ultimately, saying that Christ is our King means that we give over all that we have, and all that we are (our very being itself) to him, to do with as he wills, according to his good will and pleasure.  Saying that Christ is our King also means that we must humbly submit ourselves to him, and to his Truth.  Remember what he said to Pontius Pilate:  “Whoever belongs to the Truth listens to me!”  Saying that Christ is our King means allowing all that we do to be offered up to him for his greater glory.  In the Church’s liturgy, we show our reverence to Christ the King is various ways.  For example, the priest bows his head slightly whenever the Most Holy Name of Jesus is said aloud (as we do also at the Holy Name of Mary).  And we genuflect in the presence of Jesus, once again to acknowledge that we are in the presence of our King.  In ancient times, whenever a King entered a room where his subjects were present, they would bend the knee to the floor in order to acknowledge his kingship over them.  In the Middle Ages, this custom was maintained, but with a very important difference:  the right knee was bended only to God (so, for example, before the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament), whereas the left knee was bended in the presence of the earthly king.  This was done to show that we never give the same honour and veneration to a human king that we would give to God himself.  That is why even today, we always bend the right knee before the Tabernacle or the Real Presence of Jesus on the altar.  This is also why we kneel to prepare ourselves for the consecration, to remind us that Christ our true King is about to become present on the altar.

        One of the natural consequences of acknowledging Christ as our true King is that we also acknowledge the Virgin Mary as our true Queen.  She is Queen of Heaven and earth, because she is the worthy Mother of the King of Heaven and earth.  Images of Jesus as King and Mary as our Queen are not meant to distance Christ or the Blessed Virgin from us:  on the contrary, they are meant to show us how much we are loved by God.  True kingship is not about lording it over one’s subject.  The true king is the one who serves his people, and that is exactly what Christ came to do for us out of love.  As our King, he serves us:  “I came not to be served,” he says, “but to serve, and to give up my life for the multitude.”  Christ the King shows us that true power, authority and kingship always imply humble service; they imply taking the last place, becoming the servant of all.

        Today, we give thanks to God the Father, for sending us his Son to be our Saviour, our Lord, our King.  We pray that one day, all things may be restored to God the Father in and through Christ his Son -- just like the Collect (opening) prayer of this Mass says.  And as the same pray says, we ask for the grace of being set free from slavery and sin, so as to render service to our Majesty, Christ the King, and to proclaim unceasingly his praises for all eternity!  Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat!  Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ rules...in our hearts!  May his Kingdom come, here on earth, as it is in Heaven.  Amen.

Rev. Hezuk Shroff is the Associate Pastor: of Divine Infant Parish
6658 Bilberry Drive
Orleans ON K1C 2S9

 

 

Pro Life Mass, Divine Infant Catholic Church Ottawa Ontario, November 24, 2012

Homily of Rev. Hezuk Shroff

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of the Martyrs Andrew Dung-Lac and his companions. This feast day celebrates all those Vietnamese Catholics who were martyred in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. I think that it is rather providential that our monthly Pro-Life Mass falls this month on the feast day of these martyrs, for what we are doing in the Pro-Life movement today is in itself a type of spiritual martyrdom, in the original sense of the word.

What exactly is a martyr? The word “martyr” means “witness”. The martyrs are those who bore witness to Christ, the supreme witness that man can give to God: the witness of allowing one’s own blood to be shed, giving up one’s own life in order to remain faithful to the Lord. The witness of the martyrs is a heroic witness. Martyrdom is a heroic type of fidelity. Saint Paul tells us that Our Lord Jesus Christ was faithful: faithful to the very end, faithful unto death on the Cross. Our Lord could have made his life “easier” in a certain way, by either denying the truth of who he was, or even remaining silent in regard to that truth. He was crucified because he chose to bear witness to that truth, the truth of his identity as the Son of God, and instead of telling his persecutors what they wanted to hear (and thus probably sparing himself the ignominy of the Cross), Our Lord told them what they needed to hear.

In the Pro-Life movement, we need to have the courage to do the same. Telling people what they want to hear, watering down the message of the Catholic Faith and the inviolable dignity of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God …. watering that down in order to please the world is a compromise that we and the Catholic Church can never make. The world needs to hear the truth, and true charity means that we have the obligation to bring that truth to the world -- whatever the cost may be.

The holy Vietnamese martyrs, whose feast day we celebrate today, attest to Christ’s lordship over their whole lives by freely giving up for him the most fundamental gift that God had given them: the gift of life itself. They faithfully bore witness to the truth that is found in the words of Our Lord to his disciples, “No greater love is there than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and the holy Vietnamese martyrs did just that: they laid down their lives for their greatest Friend: their Lord and their Saviour, Jesus Christ! They laid down their life also for their own people, so that the sacrifice of their blood being shed in union with Christ’s own Precious Blood, may bring about the graces needed for the conversion for their people.

The readings at today’s Mass are proper to the feast of the holy Vietnamese martyrs. But in a certain way, these readings correspond fortuitously to our Pro-Life theme at this Mass. The first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, tells us that the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God. It tells us that no torment will every touch them, and that in the eyes of the world, they are destroyed, but in reality they are at peace. Their hope is filled with immortality, though in the sight of the world, they were somehow punished. Their lives were offered up to God and accepted by him as a sacrificial burnt offering.

Who can read these words, in the context of this Pro-Life Mass, without thinking of the unborn? To the eyes of many, they are useless; they have no “rights” until they have come forth fully from the womb. Until they are fully born, to many, they are just a part of their mother’s body, and so their mother can dispose of them as she chooses, much like she would dispose of a wart, or a cancerous group of cells -- as if to be pregnant were some sort of a contagious disease. How can today’s so-called “sophisticated” world look at the unborn in this way? When science has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a foetus is indeed a living, human being, the forces that be insist that it is nothing but a group of cells, with no rights in the eyes of the law, and no rights from a moral perspective either. If they are only a part of the mother’s body, then surely the mother can do with them as she wills.

Such ideas defy human logic, human reason, human compassion. In the name of freedom, our society says that a mother can choose to kill her own child. Is this what “freedom” truly is? Is freedom the right to choose evil? Is freedom the right to kill? Am I more free when I choose to murder, to steal, to do what is morally unacceptable? If so, then there would be no one more free in our Western society than the murderer, the rapist, the thief. Does the power to do evil make man free? That is the fundamental question that must be answered.

The modern notion of freedom equates freedom with licence. Licence is about me being able to do what I want, how I want, whenever I want -- regardless of the consequences. But is that what authentic freedom is? Is that what makes a man truly free?

The Church’s answer is a categorical “No!” How does the Church, then, see freedom? The Church views freedom in the same way in which Our Lord sees it. In St. John’s Gospel, ch. 8., Our Lord is speaking to those who believe in him. When asked how to be a true disciple of his, Jesus replies, “If you continue in my word, then you shall be my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn 8:31-32) “The truth shall make you free.” Ever since those words were uttered, Jesus has made it clear beyond a shadow of a doubt what authentic freedom really is. Freedom and truth are inseparable. One is only authentically free when one is living in accordance with the truth. That is Christ’s definition of freedom; and so too it has become the Church’s. The Catholic Church emphatically states that freedom and truth can never be separated. To live in a way that is not in conformity with the truth is not to be “free from the truth”, but to be “a slave to untruth”. In fact, that is exactly what Our Lord says to his disciples. “Whoever sins,” he says, “is a slave of sin.” (Jn 8:34-36). And so we see very clearly that there can be no such thing as the “freedom to sin” or the “freedom to do evil”. Sin and evil, by their very nature, turn us away from God. They are anti-God, and because all freedom comes from God and from his truth, whenever we sin or do evil, we do the exact opposite of becoming free: we become slaves.

The Church is unconditionally and unabashedly pro-life. How can she be anything else? All life comes from God: that is a central truth of our Faith. If God therefore is the author of all human life, then he alone has absolute power over life. The great temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden was the temptation to “be like God”: to usurp the power and authority that God alone possesses. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve with the false notion of freedom that reigns in today’s world. He tempted Eve with the ultimate temptation: “You shall be like God.” In other words, “you will be the one to determine what is good and evil. You will be the norm of truth.” Isn’t this what many in today’s society wish for? Do not many today seek to be the norm of all truth? “If I believe something, then it is true. Don’t tell me that I don’t have the right to do this or that: if I believe it is good for me, then it is good -- regardless of what you say.”

This attitude is what leads to the desire, in our modern Western culture, to re-define anything and everything according to our own “convenient truths.” We want to re-define marriage, to re-define life, to re-define even what it means to be human. And in doing so, we become less human. That is the great irony of it all. Ultimately, when man rejects God and the truths given to him by God, he does not become more of a man, but less. We see this very clearly in the movement that calls itself “Pro-Choice.” In reality, as we all know, it is not a movement that is pro-choice, but one that is pro-abortion, that is: pro-the-choice-to-kill. The pro-death or anti-life movement is founded on this false notion that somehow we are more free when we can choose evil. But in choosing evil, not only do we lose our freedom: we also lose our humanity. Man was created for God. He was thus created for the Good and for Truth. He was created for the Supreme Good, the Supreme Truth, and it is only insofar as he pursues that Good and follows that Truth that he will become truly free, and truly human. The Pro-Life movement, therefore, is a movement that is Pro-Truth, Pro-Goodness, and ultimately, Pro-God. One cannot be for God and against Life, just like one cannot be for God and against Truth. This is why the Pro-Life movement is not just an action of Social Justice. It is much deeper than that. It is a fight for all that is good, noble, just and true -- because it is a fight for the primacy of God. Life and Truth always lead us to God, for he is their very Author and Source. How many people, for example, begin in the Pro-Life movement, who are Pro-Life but not necessarily Catholic, and who end up through their service to Life by ultimately finding God and finding Christ in his Catholic Church? This is not a sheer coincidence. It is the Truth of God active and alive in their hearts.

 Last week, I went to a showing of a beautiful movie on the life of St. Augustine, and in that movie, the great bishop Ambrose confronts the early Augustine (before his conversion). And what he says to Augustine resonates in his heart, and eventually leads to the conversion of that great saint. In the movie, Augustine is speaking about truth and man’s search for the truth. He speaks about it in philosophical and abstract terms. “Man was made to search for the truth,” Augustine says. Saint Ambrose listens to him charitably, and then simply says these words: “Man does not search for the Truth; man allows the Truth to find him.” These words were one of the highlights of the film. How true they are! Yes, we do seek the truth, but ultimately it is the Truth that seeks us. Why? Because the Truth is not an abstract concept; the Truth is not a thought, an intellectual reasoning: the Truth is a Person, and that Person is Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity! This is why truth always leads us to Christ, who said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life!” To be pro-Christ means therefore to be pro-Truth and pro-Life!

In today’s world, we have the obligation to bring the message of that Truth to all those who have ears to hear. We must always do so with great Charity, of course, but we must never allow a false charity to lead us to watering down the Truth. And neither should we allow fear to turn us away from proclaiming the Truth. Remember Our Lord’s words in today’s Gospel: Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves. They will hand you over to councils; they will flog you in their synagogues; you will be dragged to bear witness before governors and kings because of me. But when they hand you over, do not worry about what you will say or how you should speak, for it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father in Heaven speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child [and today, we should add: And a mother, the unborn infant she carries in her womb]. You will be hated by all because of my name. But do not fear, for the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

  In other words, brothers and sisters, Our Lord is telling us that we have the obligation to proclaim the Truth -- charitably, but with boldness -- and that we should never fear the consequences, for it is God himself who will be our strength, and God himself who will be speaking and converting human hearts through our words. God is Truth, and God is Love. That is the heart of the message of the Catholic Church. And that is also the core of the Pro-Life message. We are Pro-Life because we are pro-Truth and pro-Love, and ultimately, because we are pro-God!

May God bless each and every one of you as you continue bearing witness to the Truth about the dignity of all human life, from the moment of natural conception to natural death. May the holy Vietnamese martyrs give you the courage to bear witness to the inherent sacredness of human life, even in the face of adversity and suffering. And may Our Blessed Mother intercede for you and for your ministry, may she lead you and guide you as you work unceasingly for the cause of Life. Our Lady will reward you greatly for what you do (you can be sure of it), for she is the Mother of the Pro-Life movement. Eve, whose name means “Mother of all the Living” sadly brought sin and death into this world. But Mary is the New Eve, the true Mother of all the Living. She brought Life into the world, by conceiving and giving birth to the Son of God. May God bless you all through the intercession of His Blessed Mother. And may the Holy Angels and Saints strengthen you in your resolve to be authentic witnesses to the very end, witnesses to the Gospel of Life, witnesses to the Gospel of the One who said, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.” In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Rev. Hezuk Shroff is the Associate Pastor: of Divine Infant Parish
6658 Bilberry Drive
Orleans ON K1C 2S9

Pro Life Mass October 27 2012 Annunciation of the Lord Parish

Photos I took at the Pro Life Mass at Annunciation of the Lord Parish on Saturday October 27, 2912.. I made a slide show with liturgical music from the Saint Louis Jesuits in the background

THE PILGRIMAGE OF MASSES 
The Holy Catholic Church has been continually teaching us, and Common Sense agrees, that abortion is the gravest crime of modern society! But Mother Church is ever ready to provide healing and peace and to point to the solutions. John Paul II and our modern Popes have called for CONVERSION from the culture of death to the Culture of Life.

Our continuing Pilgrimage of Masses provides us all with opportunities to focus on this ON GOING conversion of each one of us, not just "those out there" but also "the person in the mirror". Thus you and I will be able to awake each morning and "report for duty" in the Vineyard of God our Father with the words of Samuel on our lips and in our hearts: "Here I am Lord (I have come to do your will!"

In paragraph 88 of Pope John Paul ll's "Evangelium Vitae", he recommends the establishment of "Pro-Life Centres." These will help to reduce the threat to Life throughout its spectrum. There are Pro-Life Centres in the USA ( Washington DC and New York ), but we need to focus anew on this prophetic call of the late Pontiff. This "focus" necessarily begins with prayer (Come Holy Spirit) and study before the work begins. So opening Pro-Life Centres for Ottawa and other cities of the world are not easy targets!
HENCE, THE NEED FOR THE PILGRIMAGE OF MASSES.

 The Mass intentions, therefore, will be:

(1)  Conversion from the culture of death to The Culture of Life

(2)  The end of abortion worldwide

(3)  Opening of Pro-Life Centres in all cities of the world, including Ottawa
THE PILGRIMAGE CONTINUES

Full Mass of Canonization of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha from Salt and Light Media

Canonization of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Beatified by Blessed John Paul II in 1980, Kateri Tekakwitha was proclaimed the first Native woman saint by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012.

Run With Life: What it means to be pro-life

Run With Life: What it means to be pro-life: Father Jerry's homily on Oct 7 tells us about being pro-life on both ends of the life continuum. After Motion-312 was defeated, Father Jer...

EWTN Live - 2012-10-17 - Douglas Bushman, STL - What is the Year of Faith?

from EWTN

with Father Mitch Pacwa S.J

and special guest Mr. Douglas Bushman

1...Knowing Our Faith Better,

2...Conversion,

3....Witness of Joy

The starting point for our faith about the Church is the Creed. We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and apostolic Church and so any Theology of the Church has to begin there and this is what Pope Benedict is calling us to rediscover. When you read all he has written about the year of faith he uses many verbs with re to rediscover the profound sources of our faith especially the Creed. That's the first part to understanding our faith better and there is no better source than the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is perhaps the greatest fruit of the second Vatican Council and the Pontificat of John Paul II. From the one to whom more is given, more will be required. Therefore the more we fully understand our faith the more we are accountable and this leads to conversion. This leads to making all the efforts we can make to live up to our deeper understanding of what God has revealed. Metanoia the Greek word for conversion means changing the way that we think; to think the way God thinks. The third step is when sin is rooted out of our lives and Christ reigns more fully in our hearts, we will think, speak and act more like Jesus and this is very good for the world who is in desperate need of Jesus: for everyone who is looking for the meaning and purpose of their lives, for everyone who has an aspiration to live and authentic meaningful existence Jesus is the answer. Well, how are they going to hear about Him? They are going to hear about him from his Disciples who have already discovered His message that His truth sets us free. So the final stage after knowing our faith better, after our conversion, is the Witness of Joy: the witness of a fully human life in Christ Joy is the state we experience when we are in the possession of the pearl of great price........

Run With Life: Late term abortions statistics - born alive

Run With Life: Late term abortions statistics - born alive: From 2000 to 2009 in Canada, there were 491 abortions, of 20 weeks gestation and greater, that resulted in live births. This means that the ...

Inside the Synod, Interview with Archbishop Joseph Kurtz

Pro Life Stewardship - written by Father Jim Whalen - Priests for Life Canada Newsletter - 2005 Issue 3

PRO-LIFE STEWARDSHIP by Fr. Jim Whalen Priests for Life Newsletter Issue 3 - 2005 Fr. Jim Whalen, who was one of the greatest Canadian advocates for life.died suddenly on Sunday, February 24, 2008, at the age of 68.while conducting a Pro-Life Parish Mission in Thorold, ON   Stewardship is not an option for pro-life disciples. It is a necessity. It means responding to a personal call to “choose life” and imitate Christ, no matter what the cost. Catholics have a duty to be stewards of human life - Jesus did not hesitate to carry out His mission and expects no less from his followers: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly...” (Jn 10:10). Living as a pro-life steward means collaborating with God in His work of creation and cooperating with God in His work of redemption. A pro-life Christian steward is one who recognizes, receives, and respects God’s gifts of life thankfully - taking care, cherishing them in a responsible and accountable manner, sharing them in love and justice with others, and returning them with increase to the ‘Giver of Life’. A pro-life steward recognizes God as the origin of life, the giver of freedom, and the source of all they have, are, and will be. Once human beings have accepted their lives as gifts, the Spirit can use them as instruments to spread the ‘Gospel of Life’. It is difficult to be a pro-life steward in the ‘Culture of Death’ society that surrounds and suffocates us. The contraceptive mentality we live in is due largely to the strong influences of materialism, relativism, hedonism, individualism, and consumerism. There is a strong tendency to marginalize faith, confining it to hearts and homes, excluding it from the media and marketplace, from where policy is often formed, where many acquire their view of life and its meaning. There is a lack of charity, a lack of love, and a selfishness which pervades our world. There are extreme disparities in wealth and power that hinder unity and communion. There is a need for solidarity and contributive justice, for the measurement of productivity by fulfillment of basic needs, employment levels, patterns of discrimination, and a sense of community. There is a persistence of religious conflicts and divisions. There is a need for mercy, forgiveness, and truth, Stewardship of life, the Lord’s way, is not about comfortable living, feeling good, or pleasant experiences. It means surrendering ourselves through grace and choice.   It is not an illusion. It is not cheap grace. It is real. It is costly. It is demanding.    We become stewards of life by grace, starting with our Baptism, which makes us into a royal priesthood and members of God’s family. This means sharing in the priestly work of Jesus and acting on His behalf. This means imitating Him. “For in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile all things for Him, making peace by the blood of His Cross” (Col 1:19-20). It means putting aside the desire for possession, control and domination. It means seeking grace because it confers true liberation and eternal life. It also means the condemnation of sin and reparation: living a life of grace, reaching out, and accepting the call to greater conversion. It means accepting the divine mandate given to our first parents: “Be fertile and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). We are challenged to work, to cultivate, and to care for the gifts of creation, for life, and all living things. This is fundamental to our human vocation and necessary for human happiness and fulfillment. Vatican II emphasizes our task - the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life: “From the moment of its conception, life must be guarded with the greatest care...” (Gaudium et Spes, #51). The principle of stewardship applies to all believers. In this age of unbelief we are asked to follow Christ, step by step, in the service of human life: “Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others” (1 Pet 4:10). We must give to God all that is due to Him. We must in charity and justice give to human persons all that is due to them. This means not only giving of ourselves and embracing pro-life discipleship whole-heartedly and cheerfully, but also in realizing our responsibility, we must also give the full amount for which we are accountable. “I will demand an account of every man’s life from his fellowmen” (Gen 9:5). As stewards our first and foremost responsibility is to give ourselves - our lives. Jesus made this very clear: “Whoever shall save his life [live for self], shall lose it, but whoever shall lose his life [live for Christ and neighbour] for My sake and the Gospel’s, the same shall save it [in following Christ]” (Mk 8:34-35). Pro-life stewardship means giving priority to God and our neighbor. The Holy Scriptures point us in the right direction: - Loving God and others ( Deut 6:5). - Be found faithful (l Cor 4:2). - Choose Life (Deut 30:19). - Pray constantly (1 Thess 5:17). - To Evangelize (Mt 28:19:20). - Seek justice (Zeph 2:3). - Put self on the altar of sacrifice (Rom l2:1). - Be holy (l Thess 4:3). - Resist and oppose evil to the point of shedding blood (Heb 12:4). - Be forgiving (Eph 4:32). - Imitate Mary’s Fiat (Lk l:38). After Jesus, it is Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen and Mother of the Americas, Mother of Life, Star of the New Evangelization, Patroness of Life, who, by her example, teaches the meaning of stewardship. The essential elements are found in her life. She responded generously, creatively, and prudently to God’s call and gifts. She understood her role as handmaid in terms of service and fidelity. As Mother she was the first Protectrix of Jesus in the womb, and this continued on into infancy, childhood, and then adulthood - until the agony of Christ’s Passion and Death (Jn 19:25). As ‘Mother of the Church’ (Pope Paul VI, Discourse, 1964), Mary’s stewardship is articulated in the Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium). She is “clearly the Mother of the members of Christ” (#53). She is invoked in the Church under these titles: Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatix (#62). Pope John Paul II explained her role in Redemptoris Mater: “Mary is one of the first who believed and precisely with her faith, as Spouse and Mother, she wishes to act upon all those who entrust themselves to her as children” (#46). The pro-life disciple is called to share all he or she possesses as gifts and blessings with others for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Good stewards of life live with joy and gratitude for what they have received, living in communion with Christ and the Spirit and strive through diligence and hard work to multiply these blessings so as to offer them back to the Father. They have come to realize and understand their personal responsibility: “To each individual a manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit” (l Cor 12:7). Pro-life stewardship is a position of trustworthiness and faithfulness. In many cases it is a matter of life or death choices. Of necessity, it implies competence and commitment to God and our neighbours. It involves proper use of initiative, talents, and abilities. It also means hard work and tremendous efforts. At times it includes taking appropriate risks courageously. It means accepting a sense of responsibility for one’s personal development: spiritual dimension, discipleship, etc.; for relationships within the family, the workplace and the wider community: follow the ‘Golden Rule’; for certain entrusted material, financial possessions, and resources: keeping promises, fulfilling expectations, loyalty, integrity, etc. Catholics advocate that pro-life stewardship be Trinitarian, Eucharistic, Scriptural, Marian, and Magisterial. It means giving thanks to God for the gifts received and sharing them with others, “leading to works of charity and mutual help, as well as to missionary activity and to different forms of Christian witness” (Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis, #6). It means living the fundamental pattern of stewards: “Serve one another through love..., bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal 5:13; 6:2). It means service of life by doing all for Jesus, through Mary, by doing all with Jesus and Mary (True Devotion, St Louis de Montfort).     Pro-life stewards are called to share the life of the Blessed Trinity: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations: baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). Pro-life disciples model their lives on their Master, Jesus Christ, who said: “I have come not to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). + NOTES: Information & Research Stewardship, a Disciple’s Response, U.S.C.C.C.B. Publishing, 10th Anniversary Edition, Washington, DC, No. 5-465, 80 pp.   To be a Christian Steward, Summary U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral Letter on Stewardship, U.S.C.C.C.B. Publishing, No 568-2, 16 pp. Go and Make Disciples, Evangelization Strategy, U.S. Catholic Bishops, No. 5-475, 104 pp. Principles for Life, Robert Boyd, 1995, Chapter 12, Stewardship, pp. 109-114. +

40 Days for Life - Midpoint Rally at Ground Zero -Sunday October 14, 2012

40 Days for Life Ottawa

http://www.40daysforlife.com/ottawa/

 

-Midpoint Rally -

October 14, 2012, 7:00PM

Photos and Speeches

 

Photos compliments of Paul Lauzon

 

 

 

 

Marcel Dion Leading Evening Prayer

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast 

 

 

 

 

Deacon Charles Fink

 

 

 

 

Jennifer Snell 

 

 

 

Doris Gagnon 

 

 

 

John Pacheco

Speeches

 

 

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast

Blessed Mother Teresa once said: "Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat."

We are halfway through the 40 Days for Life Campaign here in Ottawa. It is a good time to reflect on why we are doing what we are doing. This Christian witness is not about gender politics, or social activism or pushing a religious agenda onto a secular society.

Some people, perhaps many people, might think that these issues are behind the campaign but it is really something simpler, more important than these things.

At the heart of this campaign is love. It is love and care for the vulnerable that motivates us to stand outside in often blustery, inclement Fall weather in downtown Ottawa. It is love for women and their unborn children, that motivates us to be a witness to the value of human life and the great blessing and dignity of motherhood.

Elements in society today treat the gift of new life in the womb as a ‘medical condition,’ an intrusion into the private realm of personal autonomy, a potential problem that needs a radical solution.

But we know that new life is a gift; each pre-born human person is a unique expression of God’s love and His ongoing, creative work in the world. Even when children come into existence in difficult circumstances, we need to recognize that they are a gift.

The work of witnessing to the value of human life is difficult. It is not always popular and our motivation for advocating and witnessing to the value of human life is often misunderstood.

We do not always see the results of this witness. Sometimes we know that the 40 Days for Life Campaign has touched a heart or saved a life but I suspect many more hearts are softened, eyes opened and minds begin questioning than we suspect and know. It is important for us to continue this witness with love in our hearts and peace on our lips confident that what we are doing, with the help of God’s grace, matters. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to soften hearts and reorient positions in this great work for life.

Recently a Member of Provincial Parliament has suggested that to be opposed to abortion and to be pro-life—to be in favour of the protection of life from the first moment of conception in the womb—is a form of bullying and therefore is “misogynistic”—that is hateful of women and, further, that such teaching ought not to be part of the moral teaching characteristic of our Catholic schools. In effect, the suggestion is that Catholic teaching on this point should be forbidden in publicly-funded Catholic schools. While people of other faiths and no faith are pro-life, the protection of the vulnerable, including those conceived in the womb is authentic Catholic doctrine and has its place in Catholic schools.

I am reminded of the words of a martyr-priest, whose feast falls in the Jesuit Ordo today but is not observed because of the Lord’s Day: they offer an apt analogy for our times:

‘In all that concerns the king, I will be slavishly obedient; if any attack his temporal power, I will shed my last drop of blood for him. But in the things of spiritual jurisdiction which a king unjustly seizes I cannot and must not obey.’ ~ St. John Ogilvie
We witness through prayers, fasting, words of counsel, support and encouragement and simply by our presence. We must remember that our task is not to be successful but to be faithful. Blessed Mother Teresa reminds us: "We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love."

May God bless and sustain you and may Our Blessed Mother be your constant companion and intercessor.

Deacon Chuck Fink:

During this year of faith, as the Deacon of the mass, I am dismissing the congregation using the words: ‘Go and announce the gospel of the Lord’. This is my plea to you, to take the word which has just been proclaimed to you and proclaim it to your friends, neighbours, fellow workers, and even from the rooftops if you are so inclined.

As JP II said, “Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places, like the first apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of salvation in the squares of the cities, towns and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the time to preach it from the rooftops.”

During this 40 days for life campaign we are giving you the opportunity to proclaim the word of God on one of the busiest streets in Ottawa during the busiest time of the day.
This has a threefold effect:

1) God is present in His Word. When we proclaim his word in a venue such as this, He is with us and the enemy will flee allowing our work to bear fruit. And it brings a sense of peace to the area. Since we began this component of the campaign, there have been no violent events as in the past – and we pray it remains peaceful.

2) The spoken word may touch the heart of someone passing by who may have never heard the gospel and wants to hear more; or if a lady is walking into the abortion clinic and hears the word of God, she may have a change of heart. We may never know the fruits of our work. Only God knows the true impact of what is being done here. For us, we are just humble disciples answering his call and praying for His will to be done. We have faith that it is being done.

3) It allows each of us the opportunity to develop the courage to proclaim the word in public; and hopefully to take away our fear of taking a stand that goes against popular opinion; thereby preparing us to boldly defend the church’s teaching on issues such as abortion, euthanasia, same sex marriage, etc. instead of shying away from the discussion.

Today’s Gospel reminds us of the difficulty many of us have in accepting god’s invitation to do His work: The young man, in the gospel, truly wanted to know what he must do, over and above what he was already doing, to inherit eternal life and Jesus told him to sell all that he had, give the money to the poor and follow him. But because the man was so burdened with his possessions, he would not do what Jesus asked of him, even though, in his heart, this is was his true desire. God has placed that same desire in each of our hearts but Satan has a way of finding one of our weaknesses to tie us down and keep us from serving our Lord.

There is an important message in this Gospel that can probably be carried throughout the year of faith and that message is ‘Let Go’.
Let go of the fears that are keeping you from Proclaiming the Gospel,
Let go of the fears that prevent you from going against the grain in your conversations with others about abortion and other Church teachings.
Let go of the things that are preventing you from utilizing your God-given gifts to serve the Lord. Jesus is calling us to action.

If abortion is to be ended and society’s moral compass realigned to accept the natural law, then it will be accomplished by those who say yes to Jesus and no to the burdens that are holding us back.  My friends, the Church is under attack. We can see it in how government is forcing immoral policy in our schools. We can see it in how they are refusing to acknowledge the existence of human life in the womb. We can see it in the US where immoral policies are being dictated to Catholic hospitals and other organizations. The list goes on. Our voices must be loud. We must be convincing, and our methods must be intelligent and well planned if we are to sway public opinion and turn the moral tide.

Please continue to pray. Remember, that with the Lord, all things are possible.
If anyone wishes to sign up to proclaim the word, there are still many slots available. Simply go to the Ottawa 40 days for Life website, click on proclamation and let me know by email or by phone which slot you would like to take.

Blessings to you all.

John Pacheco:
...This particular water attraction featured a huge barrel of water suspended about 20 feet off the ground and slightly tilted to one side. As the water circulated around this attraction, it would funnel through a little pipe just above this huge barrel of water.
As the water would collect in this barrel, you could see that the barrel would slowly start to tilt more and more to the ground. As the seconds and minutes went by, you could also see what was going to happen to the water when it reached a critical mass.
And sure enough, when that critical mass was reached, the entire barrel of water emptied down on the gleeful and ecstatic children below.
My dear friends, that is what is happening here at Ground Zero. For every prayer and sacrifice that we make here on these grounds is like a drop of water into that barrel.
We might not see any tilting of the vat. It might take some time, but rest assured that every prayer is being registered, every sacrifice is being counted, and every converted heart is bringing that barrel closer to turning over.
The critical mass is coming. It's inevitable. It's going to happen. And when it does, we will experience even a greater joy and excitement than those children did when the water splashed down on their heads.
Long Haul
When we first started 40 Days, I think some of us were hopeful we could shut down this clinic in a couple of campaigns, but I think we all understand that we're in this for the long haul.
And it's not just about shutting down this clinic which is really only a symptom of the greater sickness in our culture which is despair and apathy to unborn life.
We have to cure that before we can really achieve the victory.
Now many of you may think that a woman who choose not to go for an abortion as a result of our efforts here is a great victory, and indeed it is, but as bold as this sounds, a believer like us who chooses to participate in our Campaign who did not previously is almost as great a victory because it adds one more soldier is Jesus' army against abortion. Let me share with you an email I received this weekend which testifies to this:

I was one of those people. You know the ones walking by, heads down, reciting to themselves “Don’t make eye contact” over and over. I didn’t want to know. I didn’t want to intrude in people’s lives. If women wanted to choose, let them, it wasn’t for me to tell them they couldn’t. Then something happened. I’m not sure what, but over the last year my eyes were opened, and because of that, so was my heart. When the 40 Days for Life started, I initially thought “I can’t do that, it’s downtown, it’s gonna be cold, parking’s a pain”. Then I realized that I was thinking like my old self. Yes, it was cold, yes, parking was a pain, and, yes, it was an hour. An hour out of my day, my year, my life. An hour can seem like a lifetime. But the fact is, it’s an hour some may never experience. It really wasn’t too much. It went quickly, and if any lives were saved, if it got even one person thinking, fantastic. Am I going down again? You bet.

You see, folks, this is indeed a great victory because it shows progress amongst our own Faith community who need to be awakened like this woman was. On this sacred ground we are standing to convert not only the culture of death but also those believers among us who need encouragement - because we cannot win this fight until the Church - its pewsitters and its leaders - is fully converted to the Gospel of Life.

Defund Abortion Rally- October 13 -2012 - Premier McGuinty's Office in O...

Video from Paul Lauzon at link below

http://www.youtube.com/embed/_4Bbs56OFDI"

 

Photos below compliments of Paul Lauzon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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40 Days for Life in Ottawa - October 12 2012

 The students of Saint Paul University were covering the times on the vigil roster today and when I arrived around 11,  Father Adrian was  proclaiming the Word.  During the 40 Days for Life here in Ottawa, the Bible is proclaimed between 11:00 AM and 1:00PM. 
In spite of the really cold temperature and heavy winds there were six people present when I was there.

for greater detail see Father Adrian's blog
http://adriansharp.wordpress.com/2012/10/13/day-18-of-the-40-days-for-life/

Also here is an excellent article written by Father James Whalen 
on Pro Life Stewardship

 

Fr. Jim Whalen, Former National Director of Priests for Life Canada died suddenly while conducting a Pro-Life Parish Mission  On Sunday, February 24, 2008, at the age of 68. 

PRO-LIFE STEWARDSHIP 
by Fr. Jim Whalen
Priests for Life Newsletter Issue 3 - 2005

Stewardship is not an option for pro-life disciples. It is a necessity. It means responding to a personal call to “choose life” and imitate Christ, no matter what the cost. Catholics have a duty to be stewards of human life - Jesus did not hesitate to carry out His mission and expects no less from his followers: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly...” (Jn 10:10). Living as a pro-life steward means collaborating with God in His work of creation and cooperating with God in His work of redemption. A pro-life Christian steward is one who recognizes, receives, and respects God’s gifts of life thankfully - taking care, cherishing them in a responsible and accountable manner, sharing them in love and justice with others, and returning them with increase to the ‘Giver of Life’. A pro-life steward recognizes God as the origin of life, the giver of freedom, and the source of all they have, are, and will be. Once human beings have accepted their lives as gifts, the Spirit can use them as instruments to spread the ‘Gospel of Life’.

It is difficult to be a pro-life steward in the ‘Culture of Death’ society that surrounds and suffocates us. The contraceptive mentality we live in is due largely to the strong influences of materialism, relativism, hedonism, individualism, and consumerism. There is a strong tendency to marginalize faith, confining it to hearts and homes, excluding it from the media and marketplace, from where policy is often formed, where many acquire their view of life and its meaning. There is a lack of charity, a lack of love, and a selfishness which pervades our world. There are extreme disparities in wealth and power that hinder unity and communion. There is a need for solidarity and contributive justice, for the measurement of productivity by fulfillment of basic needs, employment levels, patterns of discrimination, and a sense of community. There is a persistence of religious conflicts and divisions. There is a need for mercy, forgiveness, and truth,
Stewardship of life, the Lord’s way, is not about comfortable living, feeling good, or pleasant experiences. It means surrendering ourselves through grace and choice.

We become stewards of life by grace, starting with our Baptism, which makes us into a royal priesthood and members of God’s family. This means sharing in the priestly work of Jesus and acting on His behalf. This means imitating Him. “For in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile all things for Him, making peace by the blood of His Cross” (Col 1:19-20). It means putting aside the desire for possession, control and domination. It means seeking grace because it confers true liberation and eternal life. It also means the condemnation of sin and reparation: living a life of grace, reaching out, and accepting the call to greater conversion. It means accepting the divine mandate given to our first parents: “Be fertile and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). We are challenged to work, to cultivate, and to care for the gifts of creation, for life, and all living things. This is fundamental to our human vocation and necessary for human happiness and fulfillment. Vatican II emphasizes our task - the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life: “From the moment of its conception, life must be guarded with the greatest care...” (Gaudium et Spes, #51).

The principle of stewardship applies to all believers. In this age of unbelief we are asked to follow Christ, step by step, in the service of human life: “Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others” (1 Pet 4:10). We must give to God all that is due to Him. We must in charity and justice give to human persons all that is due to them. This means not only giving of ourselves and embracing pro-life discipleship whole-heartedly and cheerfully, but also in realizing our responsibility, we must also give the full amount for which we are accountable. “I will demand an account of every man’s life from his fellowmen” (Gen 9:5).

As stewards our first and foremost responsibility is to give ourselves - our lives. Jesus made this very clear: “Whoever shall save his life [live for self], shall lose it, but whoever shall lose his life [live for Christ and neighbour] for My sake and the Gospel’s, the same shall save it [in following Christ]” (Mk 8:34-35).
Pro-life stewardship means giving priority to God and our neighbor. The Holy Scriptures point us in the right direction:

- Loving God and others ( Deut 6:5).
- Be found faithful (l Cor 4:2).
- Choose Life (Deut 30:19).
- Pray constantly (1 Thess 5:17).
- To Evangelize (Mt 28:19:20).
- Seek justice (Zeph 2:3).
- Put self on the altar of sacrifice (Rom l2:1).
- Be holy (l Thess 4:3).
- Resist and oppose evil to the point of shedding blood (Heb 12:4).
- Be forgiving (Eph 4:32).
- Imitate Mary’s Fiat (Lk l:38).

After Jesus, it is Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen and Mother of the Americas, Mother of Life, Star of the New Evangelization, Patroness of Life, who, by her example, teaches the meaning of stewardship. The essential elements are found in her life. She responded generously, creatively, and prudently to God’s call and gifts. She understood her role as handmaid in terms of service and fidelity. As Mother she was the first Protectrix of Jesus in the womb, and this continued on into infancy, childhood, and then adulthood - until the agony of Christ’s Passion and Death (Jn 19:25). As ‘Mother of the Church’ (Pope Paul VI, Discourse, 1964), Mary’s stewardship is articulated in the Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium). She is “clearly the Mother of the members of Christ” (#53). She is invoked in the Church under these titles: Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatix (#62). Pope John Paul II explained her role in Redemptoris Mater: “Mary is one of the first who believed and precisely with her faith, as Spouse and Mother, she wishes to act upon all those who entrust themselves to her as children” (#46).
The pro-life disciple is called to share all he or she possesses as gifts and blessings with others for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Good stewards of life live with joy and gratitude for what they have received, living in communion with Christ and the Spirit and strive through diligence and hard work to multiply these blessings so as to offer them back to the Father. They have come to realize and understand their personal responsibility: “To each individual a manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit” (l Cor 12:7).

Pro-life stewardship is a position of trustworthiness and faithfulness. In many cases it is a matter of life or death choices. Of necessity, it implies competence and commitment to God and our neighbours. It involves proper use of initiative, talents, and abilities. It also means hard work and tremendous efforts. At times it includes taking appropriate risks courageously. It means accepting a sense of responsibility for one’s personal development: spiritual dimension, discipleship, etc.; for relationships within the family, the workplace and the wider community: follow the ‘Golden Rule’; for certain entrusted material, financial possessions, and resources: keeping promises, fulfilling expectations, loyalty, integrity, etc.

Catholics advocate that pro-life stewardship be Trinitarian, Eucharistic, Scriptural, Marian, and Magisterial. It means giving thanks to God for the gifts received and sharing them with others, “leading to works of charity and mutual help, as well as to missionary activity and to different forms of Christian witness” (Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis, #6). It means living the fundamental pattern of stewards: “Serve one another through love..., bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal 5:13; 6:2). It means service of life by doing all for Jesus, through Mary, by doing all with Jesus and Mary (True Devotion, St Louis de Montfort).

 

One method of pro-life stewardship is to volunteer

for pro-life work. These are some of the Board Members

and volunteers of Priests for Life Canada at a recent

appreciation luncheon (June 2005).

 

Pro-life stewards are called to share the life of the Blessed Trinity: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations: baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). Pro-life disciples model their lives on their Master, Jesus Christ, who said: “I have come not to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). +

NOTES: Information & Research

Stewardship, a Disciple’s Response, U.S.C.C.C.B. Publishing, 10th Anniversary Edition, Washington, DC, No. 5-465, 80 pp. See: www.usccb.org/publishing.

To be a Christian Steward, Summary U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral Letter on Stewardship, U.S.C.C.C.B. Publishing, No 568-2, 16 pp. See: www.usccb.org/publishing.

Go and Make Disciples, Evangelization Strategy, U.S. Catholic Bishops, No. 5-475, 104 pp. See: www.usccb.org/publishing.
Principles for Life, Robert Boyd, 1995, Chapter 12, Stewardship, pp. 109-114. +