Divine Mercy Sunday
April 27, 2014
The New Testament has 'double-crossing' Judas and
'doubting Thomas'. The first disciples were nothing if not
a motley crew and, as we all know, the Church is made up
of the good, the bad and the mediocre. Yet, whilst Judas
is reviled Thomas is embraced: his doubt seems to have a
special appeal for our modern, sceptical world. Thomas is
often hailed as a saint for our times, but the truth is he is
a saint for all times, because the darkness of unbelief is
part of the human condition.
We walk by faith and not by sight, and we can only
perceive God as in a mirror, dimly (see 1 Cor. 13:11) — in
biblical times mirrors were made of polished metal, which
yielded a somewhat distorted image. Even though faith
brings light to our minds and hearts, we often live it out in
darkness and we are often put to the test. The world we
live in can seem far removed from the one promised us
by faith. So many things in life make faith difficult: the
terminal illness of a loved one, failure or rejection in its
many hurtful forms and just the sheer pressure of day-today living with all its stresses and strains.
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church expresses so
beautifully and simply: 'Our experiences of evil and
suffering, injustice and death seem to contradict the
Good News; they can shake our faith and become a
temptation against it' (para. 164).
What are we to do when we are assailed with doubt or
when we question our faith or even God's existence? We
are, of course, not alone. Our brothers and sisters who
have gone before us marked with the sign of faith were
not immune from questions and doubts. And God himself
understands our temptation, for on the cross Jesus
himself cried out, 'My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?' (Matt. 27:46 NIV). God is close to us in all
our struggles, and in the cauldron of our post-modern
and in some ways post-Christian world our faith is often
tested and tried. Nevertheless, we are surrounded by a
great cloud of witnesses, the saints and heroes of faith,
and they, along with our Lord and Saviour, intercede for
us.
Lord, teach me to walk in the night of faith by clinging to
your cross and holding tight to the raft of your Word.
Come near to me, Lord; strengthen and console me.
Mass
Intentions
Monday, April 28
9:00AM † Bishop Emeritus Pearse Lacey
Tuesday, April 29
9:00AM † Violet Ward
Wednesday, April 30
9:00AM † Muriel & William Freeman
7:30PM Available
Thursday, May 1
9:00AM † Brother Lambert Bosmans
Friday, May 2
7:30PM S.I. Patricia Cooper
Saturday, May 3
9:00AM Available
5:00PM † Kenny Dias
Sunday, May 4
8:30AM Special Intention
10:15AM † Helen Nolan; † Fanny de Sales Souza
12 NOON Pro Popolo
7:00PM † Theresa DeSouza; † Doris & Richard McKee
DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Divine Mercy
introduced to us by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 2000.
The message of The Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God
loves us — all of us. And, he wants us to recognize that
His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call
upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow
through us to others. Thus, all will
come to share His joy.
We
will
have
Eucharistic
Adoration beginning today at
2:30PM
followed
by
an
explanation about the Divine
Mercy. At 3PM we will sing the
Chaplet of the Divine Mercy
followed by the Divine Mercy Litany and Benediction.
Working wonders in our community…
Of the more than 1 million foreign-born people who arrived
in Canada between 2001 and 2006, more than 40% live in
the Greater Toronto Area. As a result, nearly 11% of our
school system consists of recently
arrived residents and over half of the
total student population speak a
non-official language most often at
home. Last year, ShareLife agencies
provided settlement, advocacy and
education programs for more than
40,000 immigrants and refugees in
the GTA.
The CLP is an integrated course intended to lead the
program participants into a renewed understanding of
God’s call to them as Christian couples. It runs for a total
of 13 separate sessions, usually held once a week. Most
sessions consist of three basic ingredients: a teaching, a
group discussion, and a time for fellowship.
St.
Bernadette’s Parish is beginning their Christian Life
Program on Saturday, May 10, 2014, from 1:00 p.m. to
4:00 p.m. (21 Bayly Street East, Ajax). This is free of
charge conducted by Couples for Christ.
Experience the life and vibrancy of Christian renewal.
Experience the presence of the Lord in your daily life.
Experience your faith as it becomes a way of life.
STAINED GLASS WINDOW APPEAL
We recently
embarked on
a
beautiful
project
to
convert all the
church
windows to
stained glass.
A sketch of
the windows
is displayed in
the East Narthex of the Church. Shortly, we will present a
colour version of each window to our community.
I invite you to take a look at the sketches and consider
making a donation in memory of a loved one or to thank
the Lord for blessings that He has bestowed upon you and
your family.
We are very grateful to two families in our parish who
have honoured their loved ones by graciously donating a
window in their memory; the window of the Holy Family
and the window of St. Michael the Archangel.
The parish would be grateful for any donations large or
small. All donations are 100% tax deductible. If you have
any questions, or for more information about this
wonderful gift opportunity, please feel free to contact
me, Fr. Joseph at 905-683-1403, ext 105 or by email
pastor.sfds@bellnet.ca.
SPRING WORKSHOP
Presented by Dr. Josephine
Lombardi at St. Augustine’s
Seminary on Saturday, May 24th
from 9:30am – 2:30pm. Cost is
$40 and includes lunch. The
morning session will focus on
“Mary in the Catholic Tradition” followed by the
afternoon session on “Salvation: What is it?” We will
also be celebrating Mass before lunch. To register, call
416-261-7207 ext. 235 or email: ioftsas@rogers.com.
Catholic Family Services invites
you to an inspirational talk “On
Marriage and Annulment” on
Tuesday, May 6th at 7:00PM.
Location:
Catholic Pastoral
Centre, 1155 Yonge Street, 4th
Floor. Free underground parking
available.
This talk is being
presented by Fr. Brian Clough, Judicial Vicar with the
Archdiocese of Toronto. For more information, contact
Deacon James Shaughnessy at 416-921-1163 ext. 2227.
First Holy Communion is one of
the most cherished and
celebrated sacraments of our
Catholic faith. It is also a
sacrament that requires much
preparation so that the children
understand the mystery, the
sacrifice and love behind the
Holy Eucharist. We welcome
you to join with the children of our parish in our
celebration of the Eucharist on:
May 4th at 3:00PM – St. Patrick’s School
St. Francis de Sales School
May 4th at 5:00PM – St. Josephine Bakhita School
St. Jude School
May 11th at 3:00PM – St. Catherine of Siena School
Brother Andre School
th
May 11 at 5:00PM – Public and Private Schools
Other Catholic Schools
Join Catholics around the world to celebrate the
Canonization of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII
and rejoice in this glorious occasion. On April 27, 2014
Salt + Light Television will broadcast, LIVE from Rome, the
Ceremony of Canonization for Pope John XXIII and Pope John
Paul II.
This historic event can be watched at the following times:
LIVE
April 27: 3:30 am ET / 00:30 am PT (English)
REPEATS
April 27: 9:00 am ET / 6:00 pm PT (English)
April 27: 10:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm PT (English)
April 28: 2:00am ET / April 27 at 11:00pm PT (English)
“As the Father has sent
me, so I send you.” Will
you respond to God’s call to
be sent as priest, sister or
brother? If God is calling
you, contact Fr. Hansoo
Park 416-968-0997. Email vocations@vocations.ca.