Focused Living That Effects Others Positively

Two weeks ago the church was reflecting on the story of the feeding of the 5000. 5000 people in need, with few people and resources to respond, but with faith in Christ, those needs were met.

Last week the church began reflecting on Jesus’ “Bread of Life” sayings. The feeding of human needs at a deeper level than just the physical.

Regardless of what is going on in our lives or what is not going on in our lives, it is only Jesus, the Bread of Life, that can meet our deepest needs and desires. In the process of our needs being met, The Lord then sends us out to love and care for and help meet the needs of others.

Newsflash: The church exists to serve those who are not in the church!! The church is not a private club for “members only.” Nor are we only here to serve those who are here. OUR MANDATE IS TO SERVE THOSE WHO ARE NOT IN THE CHURCH.

But for us to effectively care for others and be instruments of transformation in our society, we must first come to Christ. 

 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him…”

How does this divine encounter happen and then mature?

“Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from Him comes to me.”

We need to learn how to listen and respond to the Word of God.

There is a popular nutritional saying “you are what you eat.”

There is also a spiritual saying “you are what you focus on.”

Focused hearing

Learning to meditate and focus on the Word of God as a regular part of daily life.

Focused Silence

Practicing sacred silence where we simply learn to rest and be still in the Love that is God. 

Focused action

The practical love that we show to one another in our common life as a church and as we reach out to those around us.

So my friends, let us mature in our feeding on the Bread of Life, listening to the Word of Life, and the silence of Holy Life and love-filled communion. And as our emotional and spiritual needs are met, let us together as a church and in the power of Christ, strive to reach out more effectively and feed the needs of those around us.

The Canadian Women's Soccer Loss to the USA

What an amazing soccer game yesterday between Canada and the USA women's teams. The determination, the team work, the amazing goals. Another great Olympic match where someone has to win and someone has to lose.

Apparently the Canadian team, with new coaching over the last year, has done a 180 degree turn in how it is playing. The same team had to fold and withdraw in a world class event only a year ago.

So to have come to the Olympics, and to have risen to such a high standing, is an absolutely tremendous accomplishment for the team as a whole.

But the loss because of an incompetent referee call is very difficult to swallow. For a game that will decide who goes to the gold medal match to be determined by such bad refereeing is a major obstacle for any team to overcome.

Yet life and sport is full of disappointing losses and bad decisions by others that we cannot control.

A true winner is one who can pick themselves up after loss and disappointment, and start again playing as hard as they can.

Canada's women's soccer team has responded well to good coaching over the last year, and are playing their game much better. I'm sure that with that same approach to coaching and encouraging, they will play well and hard in the bronze medal game. And win or lose, they are winners in my eyes.

We can all learn from good coaching and encouragement, and how to deal with loss and disappointment.

Sunday Reflection

Valerie and I have had a wonderful holiday. Relaxing, restful.

St.Anthony

St.Anthony, a 4th century desert father, wrote that the strings on an instrument need to be relaxed from time to time, in order to keep them from breaking.

Holidays

Holidays are about that relaxing of the instrument in order to keep it from breaking. 

Holidays also can enable us to gain or regain perspective on what is most important in our lives.

• what we need in life.
• what we are striving for in life.

Holidays, for me,  is also about reading books!! This summer, among other books, I have been enjoying an historical fictional novel Camelot in 5th century Briton.

Camelot, the striving for a just society

The novel is about:

• the invasion of Saxons onto the island of Briton, and how both peoples developed and integrated.
• it is also a story of how the druid religion of Briton was replaced by Rome’s Christianity.

• Merlin, the famous druid, thinks that Briton can only be saved by finding the cauldron and returning to the old Briton religion. 
• Author, the Warrior King, wants peace and justice for the people of Briton, and he thinks that this can only happen with a strong army, good laws and government.
• Christianity, at this stage in its development, and which is not understood by many of its practitioners, is somewhere in the middle. 

Striving for meaning

What is interesting about the novel, and about the history, is that it is a story about striving for meaning, for truth, for justice and for peace.

This is true in the history of every society.

This is also true in the development of every human being.

Todays Gospel

In the Gospel today (John 6:24-35), the people are looking for Jesus. They are looking for more out of their lives. They are among those 5000 whom Jesus has fed, and now they are striving for more.

We are all striving for meaning and satisfaction in life, and today's Gospel what it is that can meet our deepest needs is...

The Bread of God

“The bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

And Jesus says:  “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” 

My Perspective

I’m fresh off of holidays. Rested, relaxed.

I am renewed in the perspective that I have a lot of things to be thankful for.

I have a beautiful wife who loves me.

I have three beautiful and healthy children.

We have a wonderful home and domestic life.

I am able to travel and see different parts of the world.

I live in the great country of Canada, and the tropical island of Newfoundland.

I even have a great little doggie.

But you know, I have also come to the renewed perspective, that all of those things don’t and can’t meet my deepest needs.

My greatest hunger, my greatest needs, my greatest striving, is satisfied only as I feed on Jesus Christ, the bread of life.

It is Jesus that I need to seek out and feed on.

  

The same is true for you.

The same is true for our society.

My Summer Holidays

Valerie and I have just completed our summer holiday, and, as wonderful as it was, it is good to be back at my work  in the parish.

Holidays are such an important part of the rhythm of the year. In the midst of our daily responsibilities, both at home and professionally, it is important to our health and well being to be able to look forward to and to enjoy the experience of holiday rest.

I began my summer holiday this year by hosting a priest colleague from Kingston, Ontario. We offered them good old Newfoundland hospitality, and they were very impressed by the experience and the province. We visited Trinity, Bonavista, Port Rexton, Conception Bay North, and of course St.John's. They got to experience Newfoundland theatre in Trinity, see the Puffins in Bonavista, beach fire in Port  Rexton, and the Masterless Men on George Street. They loved it.

After we put them on the plane back to Ontario, Valerie and I visited her dad and his wife in Twillingate. They showed us around all the beautiful communities, feasted on lobster, and even had some duet music happening.

After Twillingate, and because we have had no summer for at least the last two years, we had decided to try a trip down south in July (to guarantee at least some degree of summer). As it turned out, we could have stayed home and gotten just as much sun as we did down south! The trip was certainly very relaxing.

Beach and Ocean

For both Valerie and I, our garden is also a place of peace and rest and holiday. We put a lot of work into our garden, which we enjoy doing; but we also simply enjoy being "in" our garden.

Herb Garden

Green House cherry tomatos

beans

Cucumber, Green Pepper, Lettuce

Hostas 

Arbour 

Holidays are certainly about rest and relaxation, but can also be about spending time with family and friends. And although we had family time going on throughout our holiday, the last weekend we put a little push on. Andrew, our youngest, has been working on the mainland during the summer. So the best we could do with him was have some "FaceTime" on the iPhone. Victoria and Valerie had a "mother and daughter" weekend and got their nails done. Matthew and I spent the weekend golfing in Gander - which included the "Head Hunter" triple hamburger from Jungle Jims!

It has been a wonderful holiday, for which I am very thankful.

And I pray that I have been granted the rest and re-creation that is required to continue to love and serve the community in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Broken Marriages and Relationships

As a priest in the church, I am very sensitized to the very real brokenness in human lives and families.

Every family I meet, pastor to, and build relationships with, whether in joyful or sorrowful circumstances, I quickly discover their wounds.

Every person, every family, in one way or another, is broken and wounded. No one is excluded. Some may try to hide it, but none are excluded.

In our Canadian Society, Sunday was "Father's Day." For various reasons, including the magnitude of divorced marriages and broken relationships around us, again as a priest giving pastoral oversight and leadership to the community, I choose not to celebrate Father's Day or Mother's Day in our liturgy or mass or worship on that Sunday. I know that for many families that it is not a day to celebrate.

Not only am I sensitive to marriage issues because of my pastoral experience, but also from my personal life.

My father was an alcoholic and, in the best interest of her children,  my mother left him when I was only four years old. I grew up in a single parent family where my mother had to work overtime to feed, clothe and care for her children.

I am thankful for my mother's sacrifice. And in the context of a broken relationship, her continued love and support was the very best that she could give to me. And, believe me, I am thankful for her commitment to us.

In marriages and relationships that are going well, if couples are wise, they will learn more relational tools to make their marriage even better.

In marriages and relationships that are not going well, couples can learn more about themselves and what is necessary to help their relationship survive.

In marriages and relationships that fail, for whatever reasons, people can learn how to best move on with their lives in separate directions, If children are involved, parents can learn how to put their children first, and how to best care for and support them in their context.

There is absolutely nothing easy about sustaining healthy relationships throughout a lifetime.

What has healed me in my broken relationship with my dad, is an open and life giving relationship with my Heavenly Father fully revealed in Christ. As I know the joy and love with being in relationship with  Christ, I am better able to forgive those who hurt me, and I am better able to forgive myself when I let others down.

What I desire most is to be in right relationship - with those close to me, with the community, with the stranger....with my Maker.

Love,
Father Gerald+

Holy Communion

Holy Communion

The entire story of our salvation and the call into Life are in the sacrament of the Holy Communion.

It is a sacrament of unity

It is a sacrament of oneness

Through the power of the Cross and Resurrection, all are called to participate in oneness with the Lord.

If you accept forgiveness in Christ, you are called to the Eucharistic Table.

No one is omitted.

No one is told they are not welcome.

Facing God and one another

Eucharist is about facing God and being one with God.

Eucharist is about facing one another and being one with one another.

Our Oratory is about facing the Lord and facing one another in the power of His Love.

Our Emmaus Cafe  is about welcoming everybody/anybody in the power of His Love.

The Church, the Eucharistic Church, is an inclusive church.

It is a Church that when something is wrong in a relationship or in the community, we seek to reconcile, to work it out.

The Christian filled with the Spirit of God desires unity with all, and would never make someone unwelcome.

Our doors are open daily, and ALL ARE WELCOME at the table of the Lord: people you know,
 people you don’t know,  those you like, those you don’t like,  those who are saints, those who are sinners.

Jesus died and rose for all people.

Jesus died in order to make us one with the Father and one with one another.

Jesus said “This is my body, this is my blood” to all people.

The Lord Jesus is the host of this community, He invites us to the feast of His Body and Blood, the feast of His life and love.

There is no one who is not welcome to join us, the parish of the Resurrection, in the love and fellowship of our daily café ministry.

There is no one who is not welcome in our Oratory as we gather around the table of the Lord.

We are the Church of God, we are the Body of Christ.

We are a school of love and life.

Our mission is to lead all people into the paths of freedom,  where they can indeed be loved, where we can indeed become people who will love.

Money

Last night our parish had its 10th annual spring auction. It was an absolutely wonderful night. Music, fine dining, beautifully decorated space, and a 100 people of good cheer and good will.

A huge amount of effort and organization goes into putting off such an event. The commitment of the organizers, the charity of the donors, the generosity of the participants.

It is through events like our annual auction that I am reminded that there are people who understand and support the important work that we do as a church.

But events like the auction is not enough to support the church's ongoing and demanding mission of the transformation of hearts, minds and societies.

The church needs people to support its day to day work with:
- yes with some of their time,
- yes with some of their gifts,
- but also yes with their money. Regular and consistent contributions at that!

We've all heard the old saying that "money makes the world go round." Money is not what we live for, but money is required to support life with all of its different needs. And the absolutely necessary work of the church is among those needs that require financial support.

Wherever you are, know that the church in your community is doing very important and worthwhile work. It needs your support.