Author: AnishinabeSC

By Eddie MacDonald – Anishinabe Spiritual Centre

I am pleasantly surprised.  As each year passes, we often enter into the Advent season with a sense of knowing.  We see the Advent wreath, we know the theme of each candle: peace, hope, joy and love.  For me, I entered this Advent season knowing the general gist of Advent.  I know that it is about waiting for Christmas and waiting for the second coming.  I have even taught at schools and parishes about Advent being a time of acknowledging that Jesus is present!  Past, present and future! What a gift Advent is!  And that is it.  Now let’s get on to Christmas!

This year, like a veil being lifted from my eyes, I have learned about yet another layer to Advent.  I thought I knew it all!  I love it when the Lord gives something a new, deeper meaning for me.  Just like in today’s first reading from Isaiah, I have walked through this desert called my life, not knowing I was missing something until I find myself in this third week of Advent, in a blossoming desert!  The dryness, the emptiness of the desert being lifted and I am filled with Joy and Wonder!

Little did I know that the two Sundays before this one were actually penitential!  Those two purple candles represent peace and hope at a time of wandering through the desert of our life.  We search for peace and hope, yet we’re not really prepared for the encounter with Christ entering the world!  Just like during Lent, the purple, which I often associate with the King, during this season becomes penitential in nature.  A time when we prepare ourselves to meet the newborn King.  And that means really looking inward and asking the question: am I like the newborn-being, baptized, pure? As John the Baptist was pointing the way to Christ last week, he wasn’t just calling out the Pharisees and the Sadducees, he was calling out us!  We have to make straight our lives.  How do we do that?  How do we become pure once again?  We look at ourselves as God sees us, then, in search of peace in our core being, we go to confession.  We purify ourselves and we walk away with hope.  Hope that we are truly ready to meet him, as he enters the world – which he does every day at Mass.

The gears shift on this Gaudete Sunday, and Joy is found, in the anticipation of the great moment in time when God himself enters this world as a human infant.  This moment in time when all of the Old Testament is fulfilled.  This moment in time in which our Lord God, our Creator, made the decision to open up eternity to us all, coming into the world as one so small, so vulnerable.  No wonder John the Baptist questioned Christ: “are you the one?”  And the joy he must have felt when he heard about all the miracles Jesus had performed. 

Yes, He is the one.  The one we wait for with great anticipation.  Prepare the way for yourself, to meet the Lord this Christmas.

     At the beginning of Advent, Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (on December 8^th), which shows how God prepared Mary from Nazareth to become the Mother of Jesus. While keeping His divinity hidden, being born in Bethlehem, Jesus shared with us the fullness of humanity albeit free of any sin. Consequently, His Mother had to be protected from Satan from the moment of her birth. She was exempted from the stain of original sin.

    After receiving such a great privilege, it was still up to Mary to say Yes or No to God’s plan revealed to her by the Archangel Gabriel. Although not fully understanding God’s message, she trusted Him entirely by choosing the first option.

    In Advent, John the Baptist, quoting the prophet Isaiah, exhorts us: “Prepare the way of the Lord”. Thanking God for preparing Mary to be a worthy Mother of God, and also for her cooperation in His salvation plan, let us beg Mary and Jesus to give us insights about our own unique tasks in the Creator’s great design. We need small conversions, moving from good to better, getting rid of any Pharisaic traces in our thoughts, words and actions. That will be a proper preparation for Christmas.

Fr. Toni Baranowski, SJ

Christ the King

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, of Heaven and Earth.

We gather this Sunday, as we have throughout the past liturgical year. We have come full circle with walking with the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We close off Year C and next Sunday we celebrate the 1st Sunday of Advent (Year A).

How have we grown through the scriptures this past year? How has Christ the King moved your spirit? What blessings did you experience and are most thankful for? We would be remiss if we don’t reflect on the hardships too.

Christ the King, the merciful God, encourages us to show mercy too as a good father does. This act of mercy allows us to become more loving and to come to the place of unconditional love. Yes we too got angry as Jesus did at the temple, but there is a change after the anger and disappointment. We forgive and embrace the other with love. Some even laugh about it.

Christ the King shows us mercy, as we are not perfect. We are reminded that we are sinners and a work in progress. With God as our guiding light we are shown the way of the truth.

Christ the King knows us better than anyone else. We come to church, we kneel before him and go over the thankfulness of the week, we ask for prayers for ourselves and others, and we ask for help for the upcoming week and for what worries us. Even though we have heard “your faith has made you well”, God hears our pleading. Let’s continue journeying with Jesus, Christ the King, by our side.

Margaret Tish Manitowabi

Yes, you read that correctly: today we are celebrating the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. It probably sounds like a strange thing to be commemorated / celebrated. But if we consider that that church, the Lateran Basilica, is the oldest of the four major basilicas in Rome; that it is considered the “mother of all churches in the world”; and that it is “the official ecclesiastical seat of the Pope”; then perhaps we see how a celebration is fitting.

Today’s feast prompts us to reflect on both the Church and churches. Regarding the Church, one description, from the Second Vatican Council, is that the Church is “the People of God”.

Another description of the Church, from Pope Francis, is that it is, or should be, a “field hospital”. A field hospital is a temporary hospital that is close to the battlefield or near the disaster zone. This image of the field hospital suggests that the Church should be out in the middle of the action – and should not only be in the church. At one point, Francis wrote: “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets.” At another time, he said: “I see clearly that the thing the Church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful. I see the Church as a field hospital after battle.”

As we pray in the church and outside of it, let us pray that we may know how to be, and have the strength to be, a good Church!

Fr. Paul Robson, SJ

“We are Spirit Beings on a Human Journey” (attributed to Teilhard de Chardin)

Celebrating All Souls Day on a Sunday this year fits right in with a resurrection focused liturgy on Sunday. Our first reading is from the book of Wisdom, about the people who have died, reminding us not to see death as destruction, but rather as a transition. The writer tells us that God tested them like gold in a furnace and found them worthy through his grace and mercy, because they trusted in him. This is a clear indication that, just because we go through trials and tribulations in this life, it does not mean that God has forgotten us. We are being tested in a furnace and we will emerge like gold, and the fire (trials) may not always be as gruesome or hot as at other times. 

John, in the book of Revelation, brings us back to here and now, in a new heaven and a new earth. This message sounds very simple: “the home of God is among humans”. But do we fully realize the depths of this message? John writes about a “bride (which is earth and all that is in it) adorned for her husband (who is God the Creator Spirit)”. As in a marriage, where “the two become one flesh”, so God inhabits our earth bodies. God is in the earth and our Anishnabe ancestors knew and lived this. God is within us. If we realized and believed the enormity of this fact, our attitudes to everything and everyone around us would be different. All our façades and our imagined needs would be no more.

In the gospel, Jesus is fully aware of who he is, a human being infused with the Spirit of his Father, who is also our Father and our Creator.  We see the compassion and love of God in Jesus, the compassion to which we are also called. Perhaps Jesus is asking you and me to “arise”, as he said to the young man being carried out, “I say to you, rise!” What do we need to rise from or rise to, so that our spirits don’t have to wander too long once our spirit separates from our bodies? The saints are those who have completed their journey and reached their destination. We, the spirit beings still on the human journey, need to rise from the death of lies, pretentions, and all false beliefs of temporary gratifications that this world offers. Let us rise to truth, honesty, respect, courage; and to living the faith and to trusting in Jesus who is also our ancestor leading us.

– Sr. Terri (Kateri) Beaudry

Reflection by Eddie MacDonald

Sirach, one of my favorite writers of the Old Testament, always cuts to the chase.  There are no riddles with Sirach, just clear, direct teaching.  He is an Elder, sharing his wisdom with a young one.  Make no mistake, you have heard him correctly.  Today’s reading is no different: God hears the cry of the oppressed, the widow and the orphan.  The prayers of those who are humble and willing to serve will rise up and “pierce” through the heavens.  Sharply heard, a pierce causes action!  God responds immediately.

Paul writes that the Lord responds, when no one else is there for him and he feels lowly and abandoned.  Have you ever felt this way?  Paul felt God with him, saving him from evil.  It didn’t mean that he didn’t suffer, but through faith he felt at peace and was strengthened and found courage through the knowledge that he was being accompanied by God.  Why?  Because he humbled himself and asked.  He knew his prayers would pierce through the heavens and be heard.

This leads to our Gospel for today, the parable of the Pharisee (the man who held a high place of honor because he was well schooled in scripture and followed the rules step by step) and the tax collector.  The tax collector was getting by, doing his job, a job that had no honor.  Imagine the grandeur of the Pharisee, his perfect clothing, an air about him!  And the tax collector, an obvious sinner to all.  They both show up at the temple to give their offering and pray to the Lord God. 

The Pharisee scoffs at the tax collector, and he knows all the right words and actions.  Knowing that all who see him will be impressed by his dress and his manners.  He gets to sit at the front, and gives just what he thinks he should – a symbol of his wealth.  The tax collector, on the other hand, feels his feet freeze when it is his turn.  He is humbled and overwhelmed, realizing he is in the presence of God, the Creator of all!  Suddenly, he is overcome with grief and sadness, knowing the part he has taken in misusing God’s people.  His shame overwhelms him and his cry is sharp and heart felt: “Oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner”.  Those who recognize their weakness and sin, and call out, will be heard.  Those who have no regard for heaven but live for the moment might miss out on eternity.  They have their reward now.

One of my most favorite prayers is the Jesus Prayer.  Short, simple and direct like Sirach.  “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  Sounds a bit like the tax collector, recognizing his sin; recognizing he is in the presence of the Son of the Creator; and asking for mercy.  Try this prayer, fill your days repeating it.  As you walk, as you drive.  Instead of listening to the radio, repeat this prayer.  The results are miraculous.  Let it move from your mouth to your head and finally to your heart. Walk humbly, knowing the mercy and presence of God beside you.

In the book of Exodus, we are given an image of the Lord helping his people to victory so long as their leaders’ hands are raised – a symbol of prayer and faith in the Lord. As soon as that droops, so too does the help of the Lord. This should not be construed as his not wanting to help, but rather, his respecting our free will, that he will only be present in such a way so long as we continue to ask/be in a true posture of openness to him.

Jesus in today’s parable makes a similar illustration. This is meant to encourage us to maintain this stance before the Lord, to persevere in our faithfulness. However, he also issues a challenge. Indeed, when he comes, whenever and however that may be, how will he find us? This is similar to his other sayings that caution us to constant vigilance, resilience and the like. Consider just how quickly things can drastically change forever in an instant. These teachings are meant to help us keep an even keel, in as much as we can, during such trials.

Returning to our first image in Exodus, we are taught that this task is not meant to be totally solitary. Just as Moses needed the assistance of Aaron and Hur, so too does each of us require the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ to remain steadfast. This benefit is not only for those directly involved, but has wider repercussions as well.

St. Paul elsewhere likewise mentions the importance of constant prayer and fellowship. Here though, he exhorts us not so much to speak constantly to God as to instead be attentive to what he says to us in Sacred Scripture – and to grow in and to share such fruits broadly. St. Jerome once famously said, “ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Since we are seeking a meaningful relationship with Christ, perhaps part of our keeping his words to us today is to spend more time with him in Scripture and sharing it beyond only in church.

– Aaron Neiva

No doubt, in last Sunday’s Gospel, we noticed the apostles’ request: “Increase our faith”.

It seems that the astonishing trust of the ten lepers in Jesus’ ability to cure them was based only on  some reports of the miracles which they must have heard from others. Although their wellness was not restored instantly, their faith in Him was so strong that they obediently followed Jesus’ command to report to a priest.

St. Luke wants us to focus on the lepers’ response to the fundamental change of their life’s status,

after Jesus’ intervention on their behalf. Unfortunately, only the Samaritan thanked him for the miracle.

The earlier cry of the others, “Have mercy on us”, was unfortunately not followed by “Make us grateful for the goodness shown to us”.

It is easy to repeat the mistake of the majority of the ten lepers. God is Love and it might appear to us that it is His duty to shower us constantly with a variety of blessings. The humanity of Jesus yearns for a frequent “thank you” statement. Knowing Him also to be fully God, we express our greatest possible gratitude for opening the gate of the heavenly Jerusalem for us.

While still on our earthly pilgrimage, we should often cry to Jesus: “Increase our gratitude”.

– Fr. Toni Baranowki, SJ

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Exaltation: the action of elevating someone in rank, power and character.

Jesus was exalted, and he is the character of a loving being whom we try to emulate. How do we emulate the Supreme Being? We love him to our core, we breathe his unconditional love, the same love a child has for their parents and people around them. Many scriptures remind us to be childlike. We lost that unconditional love we had when we were children; society changes us. We can become competitive or we can give up or we lose ourselves and become what society wants us to be. We then lose ourselves and we ask: who am I?

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The unconditional love we had as children is the foundation to our faith. We can go back to being childlike and believe in everyone, we don’t question their truth.

God’s love is shown by the sacrificial life of Jesus. As we come together in the church we see the cross before us, we gaze, we pray and we praise Jesus for the life he gave each and every one of us. He came not to condemn us but for our salvation. His love fills us and we walk on the pathway to salvation, we are forgiven. We return his love by showing his love and mercy to all people. We learn to pray for one another.

In today’s responsorial psalm, our response is: “Do not forget the works of the Lord”. We seek him earnestly in our everyday life. Where was Jesus today? Did I meet Jesus today? Take time to reflect on your day; when was my heart touched by someone, something from creation, a sign? God’s love is around us, we just have to be open to his promptings.  

In the gospel of John (3:13-17), we hear: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” For the Glory of God our actions should resound in our earthly walk, our pilgrimage.

Margaret Tish Manitowabi

Paul Robson, SJ

On September 1^st each year, in the Orthodox Church, the church year starts with a commemoration of God’s creation of the world; and in 1989 the Orthodox Church declared that that date would be a day of prayer for the environment. Christian groups like the World Council of Churches later proposed a “Time for Creation”. In 2015, Pope Francis designated September 1^st as a World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation for the Catholic Church. Nowadays many Christian groups observe a Season of Creation from September 1 until October 4, with the latter date being the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.

In our Gospel reading for this Sunday, we hear: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down to estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:28) This question suggests that we should take the long view, that we should look ahead and plan ahead. I’m reminded of the Indigenous teaching which states that we should consider how our actions will impact those who will live seven generations from now. How do our actions today affect other people and all of creation today; but also, what about the people and the world and all the creatures of the future?