Fr Bob Writes – March 29, 2015

Recently (March 19th) we celebrated the feast of St Joseph. On his recent visit to the Philippines, Pope Francis spoke about St Joseph and reflected on his role as protector of the Holy Family. He said:

“Just as the gift of the Holy Family was entrusted to St Joseph, so the gift of the family and its place in God’s plan is entrusted to us. In our time, God calls upon us to recognize the dangers threatening our own families and to protect them from harm. Let us be on guard against colonization by new ideologies. There are forms of ideological colonization that are out to destroy the family. They are not born of dreams, of prayers, of closeness to God or the mission which God has given us, the mission of the family…in our families we need to be very wise, very shrewd, very strong, in order to say “no” to all attempts at an ideological colonization of our families. We need to ask St Joseph to send us the inspiration to know when we can say “yes”, and when we have to say “no.”

The pressures on family life today are many…While all too many people live in dire poverty, others are caught up in materialism and lifestyles that are destructive of family life and the most basic demands of Christian morality. These are forms of ideological colonization. The family is also threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage, by relativism, by the culture of the ephemera , by a lack of openness to life…”

Many of you will know by now of the attempts of our Ontario government to bring in a new sex-education curriculum which contain elements flat out opposed to our Catholic Christian ethic. This program is being imposed without adequate consultation of parents.… Read more...

Fr Bob Writes – March 22, 2015

The following is from a commentary by Fr Denny Dempsey:

Our second reading this Sunday from the book of Hebrews presents a number of problematical points. How can the author say Jesus’ supplications were heard when he ended up being crucified? If Jesus “learned obedience,” doesn’t that imply that he wasn’t obedient before? And what can it mean that Jesus “was made perfect?” Jesus was the Son of God. In what way could he be considered “imperfect?”

I tend to think of obedience as an action, “being obedient” or doing what one is told to do, but that’s not the core meaning of the word. “Obedience” is a combination of two Latin words: “ob” meaning “under” (here not in reference to location but being “under” another’s authority) + “audire,” meaning “to hear” (think of “audio”). The word in the Greek text, “hupakoen,” has the exact same meaning (“hupo” = under, “akuos” = to hear …”acoustics”). Obedience begins with attentive listening. Through his prayer Jesus learned to listen attentively to the voice of God the Father, to discern the will of God and then carry it out.

As to Jesus being “made perfect”, the Greek word refers not to perfection in contrast with imperfection, but rather to being finished as compared to being unfinished with some tasks still to be accomplished. Jesus’ mission was not complete until his saving death and resurrection through which he became the source of eternal salvation.

In what sense did God hear Jesus’ supplications? God didn’t save Jesus from dying, but he did save him from death. Jesus’ ultimate prayer was that the will of God be done, and he was heard. God used his Son’s earthly life to show the world the depth of his love for us…and the victory over death in which we, too, will have a share.Read more...

Fr Bob Writes – March 15, 2015

“For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. This is not the result of works” (Ephesians 2:8). 

For centuries, the Christian Church has been split over a mis-perception- namely, that Catholics believe we are saved by our “works,” and Protestants believe we are saved by our “faith.” In fact, this has never been the position of the Catholic Church, but you will still find lots of Protestants who believe it to be the truth. The Catholic faith has never been about “either-or”, but about “both-and.” So, for Catholics, it is not a case of either faith or works, but faith and works. (Just as it has never been a case of either Scripture or Tradition, but Scripture and Tradition. Nor has it ever been a case of either Grace or Sacraments but Grace and Sacraments).

Since 1999, that perceived feud has been overcome by a Joint Declaration on Justification between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church, in which both Churches agreed that we are not saved primarily by faith or works, but by grace. “By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God.” (Joint Declaration, 15).  The word “grace ” from the Latin “gratia” shares a common root with the words “gratis” (free) and “gratuity” (free gift or tip). So grace is a freely given gift by God, by which we share in the life and blessings of God. “Grace is a participation in the life of God” (Catechism, no.1997).

That grace has to be appropriated by us by “faith.” Recent popes, as well as the Catholic Catechism have emphasized that faith here does not mean merely an intellectual adherence to some doctrinal propositions, but a commitment of one’s whole self to the Person of Jesus Christ.… Read more...

Fr Bob Writes – March 8, 2015

In the temple in Jerusalem at Jesus’ time, the largest area was called the Court of the Gentiles. It was open to anyone, Jew and non-Jew alike. The successive areas became more restrictive with the Court of Women (for Jews only), the Court of Israel (for Jewish men only), the Sanctuary (for priests only) and the Holy of Holies (into which only the high priest entered and then just once a year). The animals and moneychangers were located in the Court of the Gentiles. The area had been intended as a space where people could meet to pray or discuss scriptural interpretation with rabbis. It was in this space that Jesus would teach during the week prior to his death. Jesus desired to clear the area of the animals and the noise so as to return the space to its intended use.

Jesus clears the temple area to restore it to its true purpose. Paul writes to the Corinthians: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Holy Spirit dwells in you? (1 Cor 3:16), and again, “We are the temple of the living God” (2 Cor 6:16). We are the sanctuary where Jesus has chosen to reside. As Jesus comes into this temple, will he find it truly oriented to the purpose for which God created you and me? Will he find cause to do some clearing and cleaning? Jesus, cleanse this temple and restore it to the purpose for which you have created it.