MOTHER MARY, a Beautiful Person (A Model for Growing Stronger as a community)

>>click here to view Bulletin January 1, 2012

It is hard to believe that we are ending the year 2011 very shortly. It is a time to celebrate Christ’s birth too. It is God given opportunity to evaluate on the past, on the present and on the future. We have good many achievements in the past with regards to the sacraments: 130 baptisms, 300 confirmations, 265 prepared for first Holy Communion and 33 marriages. And there are very many activities besides the sacramental life in our parish. Given the success of our past, our focus for the future must be envisioned by the help of God. Abraham Lincoln once said: “The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.”  One thing I admire that we have great people with different ministries. We are fortunate to have volunteers and supporters who contribute time and energy whenever there is a call. I want to thank each of you for your dedication.

We are all given a call to grow a stronger community as we begin the new-year, keeping Mary our mother as a model. It is the age of the visual. Television forums becomes an ever-increasing portion of our daily life. Advertising is a multi-million dollar industry. Physical beauty is a marketable product. “Miss World” is not born; she is assembled by those whose business is to market beauty. For those who can read the neon signs of the times, the message is loud and clear. War had been declared on ugliness. A world so obsessed by physical beauty and so dismissive of sin is condemned to futility. We need the saving grace of a Redeemer not the bland inducements of an advertiser.

Real beauty is not a matter of the length of a nose or the shape of a mouth. It has to do with the quality of the person. Probably, two of the most beautiful people of recent times were Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Kolkata, India. Neither of them would have distinguished themselves in a beauty contest. Yet nobody would hesitate to call them beautiful persons. Undoubtedly, the most beautiful creature to grace this planet was Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Mary’s transparent beauty derived not from any physical endowments but from her plain heart without sin. Mary was a beautiful person unscarred by sin. Then, beg the Lord that every family in the world may have its own fruitful journey in this new-year with Our Blessed Mother Mary. God bless.  

Vivat Jesus,

Fr. S. Susai Raj.

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

>>click here to view Bulletin December 25, 2011

Dear People of God,

      Greetings in the Lord.

“Jesus’ birth is proof of God’s presence”. Matthew’s (Chapter 1:18-24) use of the quotation from Isaiah is a theological proclamation that Jesus’ birth is an irrefutable sign of God’s presence and compassionate care for God’s people. Our fearful and violent world is increasingly desperate for a sign of this sort. Jesus Himself was this sign. Jesus asks us to be a similar sign for others. It is the message that will be both whispered in secret and openly proclaimed in myriad ways until the end of time. God is with us. And Christmas is a time of joy and I wish you and your family members a very Happy Christmas and a Bright New Year 2012. God bless. 

Thanking you.

Fr. S. Susai Raj.

ADVENT REFLECTION: FREEDOM OF CHOICE - 4th Week.

>>click here to view Bulletin December 18, 2011

Dear People of God,

The rich prince in the fairy tale who goes into serious training to win the heart of the princess. He tries every charm in his book, but she has her eyes fixed elsewhere and marries a penniless woodcutter who did not do anything to win her favour. The woodcutter was chosen because of the mysterious preference of the princess’s love. The prince was left to wonder why he could not earn the love of the princess. After all, he had done all the right things. What made the princess’s choice to choose the woodcutter? The difference is very clear that the prince lives at the mercy of someone’s labour, but the woodcutter can work hard and earn money to look after his life. In all this, we forget the freedom of the one who chose them in the first place.

Today, we celebrate the extravagant love of God who freely chose Mary to be the mother of his beloved son. The selection takes place through the annunciation. There were a number of such annunciations in the old testament. The annunciation came towards the birth of Isaac, Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist. What is the purpose of this annunciation? The purpose of an annunciation is to acquaint the readers with the role, which the person about to be born is to play in salvation history. There are elements in the story of Jesus’ annunciation which surpasses all the other annunciation stories. The usual situation is that of a miraculous birth granted to a barren couple, in the case of Isaac to parents who were even past the age of begetting and bearing children. In the case of Jesus, it is an annunciation to a young women without a husband. The emphasis rests on the creative act of the Holy Spirit. God’s choice of Mary made her full of grace. If grace is God’s gift, Mary was full of the God’s gifts. There is no point in asking what Mary did to deserve that: She did not do anything to deserve it, because it was sheer gift. Gifts and favours reflect the generosity of the giver, not the worthiness of the receiver. What gift do you expect from the generosity of the giver, the Almighty God? How do we all get ready to receive the expected gift in our lives? Let us prepare for the worthy cause.

God bless.

Fr. S. Susai Raj.

GTA Catholics have new one-stop spot for church gifts

New online donation site provides more than 800 options for charitable giving

Picture courtesy Archdiocese of Toronto Blog

TORONTO (14 December 2011) - At a time of year when the joy of giving is top of mind, Catholics in the GTA now have more ways to make a charitable gift than ever before.

The Archdiocese of Toronto has launched a centralized online donation portal for Catholics in its region, the first service of its kind in North America. Through the donation portal (www.archtoronto.org), donors at 225 parishes can make a gift to their parish weekly collection, to building funds or to their church capital campaign. Gifts can also be made through the website to a number of other Catholic charities.

"With more and more people making charitable contributions online, we are happy to offer this opportunity to Catholics throughout our archdiocese, whether their parish is large or small, urban or rural," said His Grace, Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto. "The Internet allows us to extend our parish communities in creative new ways - including this option to make an offertory or other charitable gift online."

Churches throughout North America of all denominations have been accepting online donations for years but this is the first time centralized giving has been offered for all parishes in a diocese. Visitors to the online portal have upwards of 800 donation options.

"Donors are becoming more comfortable in the online environment and it is important that we strive to interact with them in that space," said Arthur Peters, director of development for the Archdiocese of Toronto. "Though the rate of online giving continues to rise in Canada, not all of our parishes have the resources or technical support required to offer online giving options. By undertaking this initiative on their behalf, we hope everyone will benefit."

At present, the new online giving portal is set to accept credit card gifts for the following charitable options: gifts to a parish (offertory, building fund, capital campaign); ShareLife, the annual charitable appeal of the diocese; St. Augustine's Seminary; the Archdiocese of Toronto; St. Michael's Choir School; tribute gifts (living gifts, in memoriam gifts); humanitarian relief (as of January 1, 2012); Sunday TV Mass; and the Our Faith Our Future planned giving and estate planning options.

As one of the most diverse dioceses in the world, the Archdiocese of Toronto is home to 1.9 million Catholics who celebrate Mass each week in over 30 different languages. More than 800 diocesan and religious priests serve the Catholic community in 225 parishes.

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Media Contact
Bill Steinburg
Communications Manager
Archdiocese of Toronto
Phone: (416) 934-3400 x 558
Cell: (416) 708-9655
bills@archtoronto.org
www.archtoronto.org

ADVENT REFLECTION: 3rd Week

>>click here to view Bulletin December 11, 2011

The first coming of Christ took place two thousand years ago when Christ was born at Bethlehem. Faith tells us that He will come again at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead. As far as we are concerned Jesus’ first coming took place in our lives when as infants we were baptized or when we came to faith in Him. Jesus comes into our lives to save us. He tirelessly goes on with his work of saving us throughout our lives. As a farmer starts work afresh in his field each morning so does Jesus with us. Individually, Christ comes to us time and again in a variety of ways. There are three particular occasions when His presence in the midst of the Christian community becomes, so to say, more intense – when we gather to pray, when we read the scriptures and when we celebrate the Eucharist. Our whole life should be a continuous advent an ever getting ready to receive Christ at His repeated comings. It is thus that we shall be prepared for Christ’s coming at the end of the world. That is why we get ready with the penitential celebration in our parish on 15th December at 7:00 pm as part of the advent preparation.  

The season of advent is a sacred season. It is the time of the Lord’s favor, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation. The patriarchs and prophets longed and prayed and yearned with all their hearts for this time. The just man Simeon saw that time and his joy was boundless. This day, the Church wants us to understand that as Jesus came once in to the world in the flesh, so now, if we remove all barriers. He is ready to come to us again at any minute or hour, to make His home spiritually within us in all His grace. God bless.

Fr. S. Susai Raj.

Advent Reflection: He COMES, COMES, EVER COMES

>>click here to view Bulletin December 4, 2011

Dear People of God,

 Greetings in the Lord. A most appropriate wish for me as we begin this advent season to extend to you all from this writings would be to wish you a Happy New Year. The reason is for Christians the first Sunday of advent is the beginning of the ecclesiastical or Church year. A great moment of attention is paid to the beginning of a new calendar year, but too little to the beginning of the Church year. The change is noted through the Church’s Liturgy. The green vestments of the ordinary season have been put away and the purple ones of the penitential season of advent are now being worn. What it means and why do we need the change? The Church aims to create a new atmosphere, a new disposition in our souls. She creates a mood of expectancy, of waiting, of preparation. The Church gives indication that something great is at hand. The very word advent means coming. The coming that is so eagerly awaited is the coming of Christ Child. How do we receive Him?

Paul reminds the Roman Christians about two occasions: one occasion on which they first accepted the faith and the second occasion is the present time. Paul is well aware that it is human weakness to forget these two aspects. Hence, Paul invites the Christians especially you and me today, to wake up at this present time and makes us to remember our baptismal conversion always  before us. The reason is that every new day brings Christ’s return in glory or the day of salvation one day closer. This is what the advent highlights to all of us to get ready. When this preparation of acceptance fails in us, we are unworthy people to celebrate the on coming Christmas. In this advent season, the good preparation great reward as it goes with the words of John J. McCullah,

“the gladness of Christmas which is hope;

the spirit of Christmas, which is peace and

the heart of Christmas, which is love”.

God bless,

Fr. S. Susai Raj.