7th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Our Gospel warns us against false prophets.

Sadly, false prophets have been at work for a long time and are not something that are new. The Old Testament gives us prophets chosen by God who would be sent forth to proclaim a message. There were others who called themselves prophets, but were not authentic in their call to be a prophet.

Saint John writes to us in Sacred Scripture, “Many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Saint Peter writes, “There were also false prophets among the people.” Even the early Christian text known as the Didache warns, “if he teaches another doctrine opposed to this, do not listen to him.”

In our modern world there are false prophets. They lead the faithful astray by presenting to them a false doctrine. As people of faith we must know that the faith is something which is finite and true. It is not something that is changing with the seasons or popular opinion. Despite these false prophets we cannot give into despair that all has been corrupted.

Christ Himself reminds when it pertains to the Church, “the powers of hell will not prevail over it.”

These false prophets are easy for us to spot because the things they say and do are so contrary to the Church. We must also remain on guard against the subtle things which might seep into our life in order to corrupt our life of faith. The things that we allow into our home can be harmful to our life of faith and corrupt the way in which we look upon the world. Media or something else can become that false prophet which leads us away from the Lord.

Let us remain on guard against all false prophets. We must live out a spirit of discernment in order that we may not be swept away by them. The devil prowls about like a roaring lion looking for souls to devour. We must resist him solid in our faith. The more that we gravitate towards truth and the pursuit of virtue the more that we will be able to remain attuned to God and His holy will.

Let us remain on guard against false prophets by staying close to the Lord and the fullness of faith that He has handed onto us.

17th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

“Our Father, who art in heaven.”

This opening line to the “Our Father” makes an important statement that we cannot simply pass over. In this prayer we dare to call upon God as our Father. Throughout Sacred Scripture we will not find reference to God as Father until Christ makes this statement. This statement is not only one for Him to make, but is also one for each of us. And so “when you pray, you say, “Our Father.”

This term is an intimate word of relationship. It does not denote distance between individuals, but a relationship. God is not to be a tyrant who is to be feared, but is a loving Father who calls us to enter into communion with Him through Christ. It is through Christ that this door has been opened for us to enter into this relationship.

By calling upon God as Father we come before Him as His children. In the family the father is to take care of the needs of his children. God the Father does this in a more perfect way and thus we are to come before Him and state “thy will be done.” Here we hand everything over to Him and trust that He will provide for each and every one of our needs.

The Our Father is a prayer that is filled with seven distinct petitions. These petitions treat prayer not as magic in order to obtain something, but the realization that we are to enter into relationship with God when it pertains to all of our needs. It is for this reason that our Gospel also warns us concerning the importance of perseverance.

It is easy to be filled with zeal when it pertains to prayer which quickly fades as time passes us by. Prayer should be something that we see value in and thus we must enter into it day by day. Never giving into the temptation to pass over it once or to cut corners on our time. Our lives are busy, but there is always time for prayer if we understand how important that prayer is.

Whenever we pray we enter into relationship with God. As Saint Therese of Lisieux puts it, “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” As Saint Augustine simply puts it, “True prayer is nothing but love.”

Therefore, let us come to pray and enter into this relationship with God. The Our Father is the perfect model for prayer and reminder for us concerning who God truly is. Thus “when you pray, you say, “Our Father.”

Bulletin Article: July 17

On the weekend of August 13/14 there will be an informational table for the Legion of Mary in the gathering area. The Legion of Mary is a lay apostolic association of Catholics who, with the sanction of the Church and under the powerful leadership of Mary Immaculate, Mediatrix of All Graces, serve the Church and their neighbour on a voluntary basis in about 170 countries.

The members of the legion works with their priest in performing the spiritual works of mercy for the parish. It is my hope that members of the Legion of Mary will make visits to our shut ins, make home visits to new members of our parish, resume the practice of a traveling statue of Our Lady of Fatima, promote the faith throughout our parish boundary, and in good time start of Junior Legion of Mary which would be available to the youth of our parish.

Leading up to this weekend more information will be found concerning the Legion of Mary in the bulletin. I look forward to having this organization in our parish for the fruit that they will bring. For more information on the Legion of Mary please see their website at https://www.legionofmary.ie. 

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

6th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Christ looked upon the multitude and saw those who were hungry and provided for their need. He took into His hands the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples. The disciples then took what was broken and set it before the people who were hungry. The people then came to receive what they needed both bodily and spiritually in order to have their fill.

We too must trust that God will provide for all of our needs. He sees each of us who are left hungry, alone, and afraid and responds to our needs. God desires to share His divine goodness with us and thus we are never left alone. Christ sees our needs and always responds to them if it seems like it or not. God came in order to sustain the people of Israel as they made their journey through the desert. He fed them bread from Heaven as He continues to feed us in such a way.

The apostles would of been able to provide nothing for these people if it were not for Christ. There were only seven loaves of bread and this would not be enough to get anywhere close to feeding the multitude. We cannot be lead to believe that we are the answer to the world’s needs. Christ is always the answer and we should simply be the instrument which allows Him to be at work in our midst. People come and go, but the faith is not dependent upon an individual. It is dependent upon Christ. Moses and Elijah came to work great miracles, but even they had to rely upon the power of God.

The apostles play a great role in this miracle. It was not Christ who brought the bread to the people, but it was His disciples. We know the apostles to be imperfect and yet they were called by Christ for such an important mission as spreading the faith throughout the world. Priests are so important because they take the bread and wine into their hands and say the blessing upon it. It is they who bring Christ into our midst. Let us make sure that we pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and that we promote vocations to the priesthood in the family and within this community. Without priests we will not have the Eucharist.

Let us continue to prepare ourself to receive this great gift. It will be here that we will receive Christ present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. The Eucharist is the Bread of Life. The Eucharist is the Bread of Angels. The Eucharist is that gift for which our heart now longs. Christ looks out to us and He sees us in our need. He never wants us to be left alone. Therefore, He continues to come and to be present with us in such a wondrous gift.

16th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

Our readings place the importance of hospitality front and center.

Therefore, we are told that “looking up, Abraham saw three men standing nearby.” Abraham greeted these three men with a true sense of hospitality. He welcomed them and even gave them a little food.

It is unknown who these three men were. They could of been the three person of the Holy Trinity, they could of been three angels, they could of been God and two angels, or they simply could of been three men whose names go unknown.

Despite Abraham and us not knowing who they are we do know that they had knowledge. They already knew the name of Sarah and they shared the great news that despite her old age Sarah would soon bear a child. This supernatural knowledge attests to their heavenly origin. When Abraham comes to welcome these three strangers he is welcoming God into His midst. As we are told in the Book of Hebrews, “Do not neglect hospitality for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.”

In our Gospel we are shown this same sense of hospitality when Jesus is welcomed in by Martha and Mary. Martha prepared her home in order that Christ may come in and dwell with her. As she toiled about doing her work she gave into her anxiety and lost sight of the one who was now in her midst. Mary was found at the feet of the Lord listening to Him speak. As the Lord came to exclaim of her, “Mary has chosen the better part.”

As parish community we must also be concerned with hospitality. As we are told from the Rule of Saint Benedict, “Let all guests be welcomed as Christ.” Hospitality should not be limited to those who are new, but should also be offered to those who are here day after day. What can we do in order to become more hospitable?

It is always nice to see someone at the door greeting those who enter into the Church. It is nice to see those who have stepped up to offer coffee and donuts following our morning Masses. It is good to be welcoming and not possessive of a certain seat going as far as to instruct another to move out of your seat. Hospitality follows the words of Saint Matthew, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

Day by day we encounter so many strangers. Abraham encountered three strangers and he welcomed them. Martha and Mary encountered the Lord and they welcomed Him. Each and every time that we encounter another we have the opportunity to practice hospitality. Hospitality in this church, hospitality at home, and hospitality when we are out and about. Hospitality is important because it welcomes the stranger into our midst.

From the Eucharist we behold Christ the Lord. With glad and generous hearts let us come to encounter Him and welcome Him into our midst. This encounter with Christ prepares us to be hospitable with allow whom we encounter. May we be vessels of hospitality.

5th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

In our Epistle we were instructed by Saint Peter, “Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary bless, for to this you have been called, that you may obtain a blessing… Even if you do suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed.”

The Latin word for “bless” is “benedicere” which means to speak well of one another. Therefore, we are being instructed to speak well of others even those who are our enemies. So often when we engage those of different opinions we overlook the virtue of charity. As Christians we must be sent forth in a spirit of charity and prayer.

If we look to our Gospel we encounter the Pharisees and scribes who were so convinced of their understanding of truth that they failed to be opened up to charity. This lack of charity and their self righteousness caused them to overlook Christ and His healing words. They followed the letter the Law, but failed to allow their heart to be transformed by it.

Our readings do not call us towards compromising on sin and Church teaching. Our readings do challenge just towards living out a spirit of charity. We must speak out against evil and fight against it, but at the same time we must make good use of the tongue. So often we are unwilling to dig deeper into a given situation and instead lash out when we are missing all of the facts. The lack of charity that is shown especially through social media is concerning because so often people use this medium of communication to attack instead of to speak well of others.

The Pharisees hearts were far from conversion. They used the proper words, but their hearts remained far away from Him. So often we go through the proper motions and say the right words, but fail to allow these same motions and words to be present within our own heart. The Gospel call us towards something far greater than motions and words and that is conversion. We must allow our heart to be converted if we are to be sent forth to live.

Whenever we come to encounter God we come to encounter the very basis of charity itself. The charitable love of the Savior is seen from the cross for it was from here that He laid down His life for the salvation of the world. He did this for us out of love. With this encounter with Him let us be sent forth in a true spirit of charity. From charity let us truly begin to bless by not tearing down, but by building up. Let us speak well of one another, let us rebuke sin in charity, let us lead others into an encounter with God through the balance of prudence and charity. In all things let us be true disciples of the Lord who have integrated the life of faith into who we are as a human person.

Let all sinful anger be banished from our midst and let us be lead forth in charity in order that we may always live for the greater glory of God.

15th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

 Jesus is the one who has freed us from the realities of sin and death. It is Jesus who left us with the gift that is the Church.

This parable presents us with the figure of the Good Samaritan who stopped to assist the man who was robbed. The Good Samaritan is Jesus who lifts us out of sin and restores us to life. We notice that two individuals walk by and they do nothing for this man. They represent the priests and ministers of the Old Testament who were incapable of lifting a person out of sin. Instead God took on our human flesh and came to dwell among us. It was He who came in order that we could be cured from this reality.

The man is then brought into an inn and left with the innkeeper. The Good Samaritan even goes as far as to say, “Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.”

This is a profound expression of love because the Good Samaritan went above and beyond what was needed of him. He found this man who had been passed over on the side of the road, bandaged him, and then went so far that he made sure that all of his needs would be met.

The inn represents the Church to which we are each entrusted in order that we may run the race towards eternal life. One must be baptized, united to the Body of Christ, and carried like the lost sheep on the shoulders of the Good Shepherd. Therefore, the Good Samaritan lifts this man from his sin, is united unto him, and is brought into the inn of the Church by Him.

The innkeeper plays a crucial role in this parable. He was entrusted with this sum of money in order that he would continue to nurture this man who was in need. He would look over him, feed him, give him drink, give him lodging, and eventually the man would be restored to health.

As Pope Francis had stated, “Now, who is this innkeeper? It is the Church, the Christian community; it is we to whom every day the Lord Jesus entrusts those who are afflicted, in body and spirit, so that we continue to pour on them, without measure, all his mercy and salvation.”

In this scenario the inn becomes a hospital which nurtures this man back to his proper health for the Church does precisely this. Hotels attempt to sell us upon luxury, but this innkeeper was concerned with the healing of this man. He took upon himself this one who had been entrusted to his care.

As the church there is a need for us to be concerned with the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. It is these works that provide for the true needs of human flourishing. These needs are not the luxuries of life, but are those things which are needed for we have been created in the image and the likeness of God. 

Let us stay united to Christ and His Church on this earth. Let us be willing to perform the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. For by doing so we remain united to Christ the Good Shepherd.

Bulletin Article: July 3

After consultation with the Parish Pastoral Council I have added two important dates to our parish calendar.

Firstly, we will have a State of the Parish report given on August 29th from 6:45pm-7:45pm. The purpose of this evening is to present the current status of our parish and school along with future aspirations. There will be a few minutes set aside for various parish ministries to present to our parish community. This is not an open forum, but a time to be made aware of the current ongoings of our parish.

Lastly, our next Parish Discussion Session will be September 19th from 6:45pm-7:45pm. These sessions are important because they bring our parish family together for discussion. We must come together in order to build the puzzle that is our parish community. These evenings never have an agenda and move forward as the participants so wish.

Prior to each of these evenings there will be a pot luck dinner beginning at 6pm. I hope to see you and your family in attendance for both of these evenings.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins