Here is the text of the homily I prepared and shared with those who came to pray with us this weekend: some thoughts inspired by the Extraordinary Missionary Month which our Holy Father has asked us to observe during the month of October.
Our Holy Father has asked the entire Church to pay particular attention to missionary activity during this month of October. In fact, he has designated it as an Extra-ordinary Missionary Month. On Tuesday evening of this past week, there was a special celebration of Vespers (Evening Prayer) inside the Vatican Basilica. In his homily, Pope Francis explained: This extraordinary missionary month seeks to be a shock to provoke us to become active in doing good deeds (Homily at Vespers, 1 October 2019). Throughout this month, we need to focus our attention on the call that Jesus addresses to all of us.
The gospel passage we have heard today puts it this way: The apostles came to Jesus and said, 'Increase our faith'. The Lord replied: 'If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea', and it would obey you' (Lk 17:5-6). One mustard seed is almost invisible to the naked eye, and yet Jesus says that even with that much faith - the smallest amount of faith - we can do amazing things.
When we think about missionaries, the first people we might think of are those throughout the history of the Church who have travelled to foreign lands to proclaim the gospel and to introduce others to the person of Jesus Christ. Here in Canada, we might think of Saint Jean de Brebeuf and his Jesuit companions who lived among the Huron tribe on the shores of Lake Huron, not far from here. Even today, the seven Jesuit Martyrs still provide us with an inspiring example that waters the faith of all Canadians. When we think of their dedication and their faith, some of us may think that our own faith is weak, or we might wonder what we could possibly do to provide so heroic a witness.
Travel to foreign lands is one way in which we can be missionaries, but it is not always necessary for us to travel in order to share our faith. We can begin doing this right here, at home, in the place where we live. This parish of Saint Bernadette is still in its infancy here in Elliot Lake. Over the past few months, we have begun to familiarize ourselves with new surroundings, with new faces of brothers and sisters who gather with us to celebrate the Eucharist and to strengthen our faith. As pastor of this parish community, my hope and dream is that we can create a space here in this parish where everyone will feel safe, at home and welcome. In order to create this space, we will first need to establish a new Parish Pastoral Council who I will invite to help me put in place all the building blocks that we need to create this special environment of hospitality.
In the coming weeks, we will elect a new Parish Pastoral Council, so I would invite you to consider the possibility that God may be inviting you to lend your voices to this form of strengthening the faith of all our parishioners.
When a new Parish Pastoral Council is to be established, the Diocesan Norms permit the Pastor of the parish to determine the number of members who will partake in that assembly. The pastor is also permitted to appoint up to 50% of the membership, while others are to be chosen by election from the parish at large. Keeping this in mind, I believe that we can begin with a total of six people who are part of the Parish Pastoral Council. In the coming weeks, I will choose three of those persons, and the remaining three will be elected. Beginning today, I invite you to consider who you might wish to nominate for a position on the newly-formed Pastoral Council. Nominations may be submitted in writing either at the parish office or via the collection baskets until Friday, October 18. On the weekend of October 19 and 20, ballots will be provided and all those who are in attendance will be invited to cast their votes. I will announce the names of the members of the Parish Pastoral Council on the weekend of October 26 and 27.
Saint Paul reminds us all today that in calling us to be his children, and in sending us out with the mission to share the good news of the gospel, God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power, love and self-control (2 Tim 1:7). I encourage you then to take these words seriously. In the coming week, ask the Holy Spirit to help you consider carefully whether God is inviting you to share your talents as part of our new Parish Pastoral Council. If so, I invite you to be courageous in offering your candidacy, knowing that this call to service is also a call to love.
Faith the size of a mustard seed
Our Holy Father has asked the entire Church to pay particular attention to missionary activity during this month of October. In fact, he has designated it as an Extra-ordinary Missionary Month. On Tuesday evening of this past week, there was a special celebration of Vespers (Evening Prayer) inside the Vatican Basilica. In his homily, Pope Francis explained: This extraordinary missionary month seeks to be a shock to provoke us to become active in doing good deeds (Homily at Vespers, 1 October 2019). Throughout this month, we need to focus our attention on the call that Jesus addresses to all of us.
The gospel passage we have heard today puts it this way: The apostles came to Jesus and said, 'Increase our faith'. The Lord replied: 'If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea', and it would obey you' (Lk 17:5-6). One mustard seed is almost invisible to the naked eye, and yet Jesus says that even with that much faith - the smallest amount of faith - we can do amazing things.
When we think about missionaries, the first people we might think of are those throughout the history of the Church who have travelled to foreign lands to proclaim the gospel and to introduce others to the person of Jesus Christ. Here in Canada, we might think of Saint Jean de Brebeuf and his Jesuit companions who lived among the Huron tribe on the shores of Lake Huron, not far from here. Even today, the seven Jesuit Martyrs still provide us with an inspiring example that waters the faith of all Canadians. When we think of their dedication and their faith, some of us may think that our own faith is weak, or we might wonder what we could possibly do to provide so heroic a witness.
Travel to foreign lands is one way in which we can be missionaries, but it is not always necessary for us to travel in order to share our faith. We can begin doing this right here, at home, in the place where we live. This parish of Saint Bernadette is still in its infancy here in Elliot Lake. Over the past few months, we have begun to familiarize ourselves with new surroundings, with new faces of brothers and sisters who gather with us to celebrate the Eucharist and to strengthen our faith. As pastor of this parish community, my hope and dream is that we can create a space here in this parish where everyone will feel safe, at home and welcome. In order to create this space, we will first need to establish a new Parish Pastoral Council who I will invite to help me put in place all the building blocks that we need to create this special environment of hospitality.
In the coming weeks, we will elect a new Parish Pastoral Council, so I would invite you to consider the possibility that God may be inviting you to lend your voices to this form of strengthening the faith of all our parishioners.
When a new Parish Pastoral Council is to be established, the Diocesan Norms permit the Pastor of the parish to determine the number of members who will partake in that assembly. The pastor is also permitted to appoint up to 50% of the membership, while others are to be chosen by election from the parish at large. Keeping this in mind, I believe that we can begin with a total of six people who are part of the Parish Pastoral Council. In the coming weeks, I will choose three of those persons, and the remaining three will be elected. Beginning today, I invite you to consider who you might wish to nominate for a position on the newly-formed Pastoral Council. Nominations may be submitted in writing either at the parish office or via the collection baskets until Friday, October 18. On the weekend of October 19 and 20, ballots will be provided and all those who are in attendance will be invited to cast their votes. I will announce the names of the members of the Parish Pastoral Council on the weekend of October 26 and 27.
Saint Paul reminds us all today that in calling us to be his children, and in sending us out with the mission to share the good news of the gospel, God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power, love and self-control (2 Tim 1:7). I encourage you then to take these words seriously. In the coming week, ask the Holy Spirit to help you consider carefully whether God is inviting you to share your talents as part of our new Parish Pastoral Council. If so, I invite you to be courageous in offering your candidacy, knowing that this call to service is also a call to love.
De la foi, gros comme une graine de moutarde
Notre Saint-Père a demandé à tous les catholiques d’accorder une attention particulière à l’activité missionnaire au cours du mois d’octobre. En fait, il l'a désigné comme un mois missionnaire extraordinaire. Mardi soir dernier, une célébration spéciale des Vêpres (prière du soir) a eu lieu à l'intérieur de la basilique du Vatican. Dans son homélie, le pape François a expliqué: «Ce mois missionnaire extraordinaire se veut un choc pour nous inciter à devenir actifs dans de bonnes actions (Homélie aux vêpres, 1er octobre 2019). Tout au long de ce mois, nous devons fixer notre attention sur l'appel que Jésus adresse à nous tous.
Le passage de l'Évangile que nous avons entendu aujourd'hui le dit ainsi: les apôtres dirent au Seigneur: 'Augmente en nous la foi'. Le Seigneur répondit: 'Si tu aviez de la foi gros comme une graine de moutarde, vous auriez dit à l'arbre que voici: 'Déracine-toi et va te planter dans la mer' et il vous aurait obéi' (Lc 17,5-6). Une graine de moutarde est presque invisible, et pourtant Jésus dit que même avec autant de foi - c'est à dire la moindre quantité de foi - nous pouvons faire des choses incroyables.
Lorsque nous pensons aux missionnaires, les premières personnes auxquelles nous pourrions penser sont celles qui, à travers l’histoire de l’Église, ont voyagé dans des pays étrangers pour proclamer l’Évangile et en présenter d’autres à la personne de Jésus-Christ. Ici au Canada, on pourrait penser à Saint Jean de Brébeuf et à ses compagnons jésuites qui vivaient au sein de la tribu des Hurons sur les rives du lac Huron, pas loin d’ici. Aujourd'hui encore, ces sept martyrs jésuites nous fournissent un exemple inspirant qui arrose la foi de tous les Canadiens. Lorsque nous pensons à leur dévouement et à leur foi, certains d’entre nous peuvent penser que notre propre foi est faible, ou nous pouvons nous demander ce que nous pourrions faire pour offrir un témoignage aussi héroïque.
Voyager sur des terres étrangères est un moyen par lequel nous pouvons être missionnaires, mais il ne nous est pas toujours nécessaire de voyager pour partager notre foi. Nous pouvons commencer à le faire ici-même, chez nous, là où nous nous trouvons. Cette paroisse de Sainte-Bernadette en est encore à ses balbutiements ici à Elliot Lake. Au cours des derniers mois, nous avons commencé à nous familiariser avec un nouvel environnement, avec de nouveaux visages de frères et soeurs qui se réunissent avec nous pour célébrer l'Eucharistie et pour renforcer notre foi. En tant que curé de cette communauté paroissiale, mon rêve et mon espoir c'est que nous puissions créer un espace ici dans cette paroisse où chacun se sentira en sécurité, chez lui et bienvenu. Afin de créer cet espace, nous devrons d’abord mettre en place un nouveau conseil de pastorale paroissiale que je vais inviter à m'aider à mettre en place tous les éléments de base nécessaires à la création de cet environnement particulier en matière d’hospitalité.
Pendant les semaines à venir, nous élirons un nouveau conseil de pastorale paroissiale. Je vous invite donc à envisager la possibilité que Dieu vous invite à prêter votre voix pour renforcer ainsi la foi de tous nos paroissiens et paroissiennes.
Lorsqu'un nouveau conseil de pastorale paroissiale doit être créé, les normes diocésaines permettent au curé de la paroisse de déterminer le nombre de membres qui participeront à cette assemblée. Le curé est également autorisé à nommer jusqu'à 50% des membres, tandis que les autres doivent être choisis par élection de la paroisse. Gardant cela à l'esprit, je pense que nous pouvons commencer avec un total de six personnes qui feront partie du conseil de pastorale paroissiale. Pendant les semaines à venir, je choisirai trois de ces personnes et les trois autres seront élues. À compter d’aujourd’hui, je vous invite à choisir les personnes que vous souhaitez nommer à un poste au sein du nouveau Conseil de pastorale paroissiale. Les candidatures peuvent être soumises par écrit, soit au bureau de la paroisse, soit via les paniers de collecte jusqu'au vendredi 18 octobre. Lors de la fin de semaine des 19 et 20 octobre, des bulletins de vote seront fournis et toutes les personnes présentes seront invitées à voter. J'annoncerai les noms des membres du conseil de pastorale paroissiale lors des messes célébrées pendant la fin de semaine des 26 et 27 octobre prochains.
Saint Paul nous rappelle aujourd'hui qu'en nous appelant à être ses enfants et en nous envoyant pour mission de partager la bonne nouvelle de l'Évangile, ce n'est pas un esprit de peur que Dieu nous a donné, mais un esprit de force, d'amour et de pondération (2 Tim 1: 7). Je vous encourage donc à prendre ces paroles au sérieux. Au cours de la semaine à venir, demandez au Saint-Esprit de vous aider à déterminer si Dieu vous invite à partager vos talents dans le cadre de notre nouveau conseil de pastorale paroissiale. Si tel est le cas, je vous invite à faire preuve de courage en présentant votre candidature, sachant que cet appel au service est également un appel à l'amour.
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