January 17th, 2021
LIVING WITH JESUS
Two disciples of John the Baptist follow Jesus after John points him out as the Lamb of God. The Lamb here, meaning sacrifice and gift by God and the means by which we are joined to God, would certainly attract the interest of anyone who wanted communion with God. So these disciples of John follow Jesus out of curiosity.
As Jesus sees them following him, he asks them what they want. When they ask him out of curiosity : “Where are you staying?”, Jesus answers them in the form of an invitation : “Come and see.” In doing so, Jesus lets the disciples discover by themselves what he is really about. After seeing him and staying with him for the rest of the day, they become followers of Jesus. It is staying with him that convinced them John was right. So they declare what they have discovered after having spent some precious time with Jesus : “We have found the Messiah.”
Note that that it is not from the message and convictions of John alone that they come to believe but through seeing and staying some time with Jesus. We, too, must stay with Jesus by prayer and encounter, as we find him in the events of our life stories, in order to discover the Messiah of God. Jesus invites us to “come and see” in so many ways, but are we curious and attentive enough to hear and accept his invitation? We only learn the personality of someone when we dwell with them…
January 10th, 2021
“THIS SERVANT IS MY BELOVED SON”
Jesus’ baptism, much like the Epiphany we celebrated last Sunday, is itself another manifestation of epiphany. In the baptismal account of today’s gospel, the Father manifests to us that this humble servant, Jesus, is his beloved Son. He is the Messiah who is to come.
The reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah shows the humble, unpretentious mission of the humble Jesus. He is truly the classic servant : “He will not cry or lift up his voice” (Isaiah 42.2). He serves. With a personal, individual touch, he delicately binds up the bruised reed and blows gently on the dimly burning wick, so as not to drown it with the oil, until the flame is strong again.
Such a humble servant may be passed by unnoticed as having no power to lead as a king or messiah. This is why John the Baptist says that someone is coming after him simply and humbly. He may be seen as so insignificant in the standards of human prestige and influence that his power may be imperceptible except to those who hear the voice of the Father and see in him the beloved Son, the One in whom God is well pleased and on whom his favour rests. He is indeed the light of the nations, but he is also a humble servant who goes to the little people, the blind, the prisoners, those engulfed in the darkness of oppression – to open eyes, to free captives and bring Good news to the poor.
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1.8). We are baptized into the same servant mission as Jesus, but with the power of his Spirit.
BEWARE OF FRAUDULENT EMAIL
being circulated using my name or the name of other Pastors (priests).
This is the present email going around :
From: "Fr. René Chartier" <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;
Subject: Peace Unto You …
Good Morning, how are you doing?
I need a favor from you, email me as soon as you get this message.
God Bless,
Fr. René
Pastor
I did not send this email and do not send this type of email.
Do not reply to this email or similar emails requesting a reply, donation or favour. Crooks are using the names of priests (myself included) to entice and deceive you – and get money from you. Please inform me if you get this kind or similar emails.
Happy New Year and may the Lord watch over you and bless you throughout 2021.
Father René E. Chartier
IMPORTANT NOTE : The Mass intention for each day will appear in the bulletin even if the Mass is celebrated privately. This allows parishioners to participate 'spiritually' in the mass as it is celebrated.
News from the CCCB (Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops) Web site: www.cccb.ca/site/eng
We Can and Must do Much Better – Religious Leaders oppose Bill C-7
More than 50 religious leaders from across Canada released an open letter on October 14, 2020 to all Canadians in opposition to Bill C-7 An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying). This ecumenical and interfaith message is a response by religious leaders to the legislation introduced by the federal government on October 5th, 2020, which seeks to expand the eligibility criteria for euthanasia and assisted suicide by removing the “reasonable foreseeability of natural death” criterion currently in the Criminal Code.
The religious leaders’ message reflects a unity of thought. “We are convinced that a robust palliative care system available to all Canadians is a much more effective response to suffering and to protecting the sacred dignity of the human person. Palliative care addresses pain in a loving and caring environment, wherein people go out of their way to offer comfort and solace. It makes everyone into a better person.” To read the letter, click here.
The development of the message was initiated by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Rabbi Dr. Reuven P. Bulka, CM, Ph.D., the Canadian Council of Imams (CCI), the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) and Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Canada.
For more information, visit the Marriage, Family & Life “News and Activities” page on the diocesan website at https://www.archsaintboniface.ca/main.php?p=401 We have also created a one-page information sheet for you. You can download it here.
We must act now to protect all persons, including future generations from Bill C-7
Photos and videos of Christian Mutombo’s, Jean-Baptiste Nguyen’s and Brian Trueman’s ordinations
A moving celebration of faith took place on Saturday, June 13th, when Brian Trueman was ordained to the priesthood at St. Bernadette church in Winnipeg. To view photos of this blessed event, visit the Photo Gallery on the diocesan website’s homepage, or click here. The ordination Mass can be viewed on the Diocesan Facebook page. And don’t forget to click here for Christian Mutombo’s ordination to the transitional diaconate (Friday, June 5th) and to click here for Jean-Baptiste Nguyen's ordination to the priesthood (Saturday, June 6th).
WARNING - BEWARE OF SCAMS
Be advised that fraudulent emails have been going around using the name of our priests (Pastors) as bait.
Some people have received emails claiming to be from their Pastor (or a priest) asking for money. In reality, criminals have collected the names of priests and are using their name/identity to deceive people.
It is up to each person to identify fraudulent emails and eliminate them.
We remind you to always use caution when dealing with email. Hackers use all sorts of tricks including identity theft and current news to try and bait people.
Below is information about identifying questionable emails:
How do you determine if you should open an email or not? Please find below tips to help identify questionable emails. If the authenticity of an email is questioned, it may be wise to simply delete it without opening it.
A few questions to help you identify bad emails:
1) How did they get my email address?
2) Do I know the sender?
3) Does the email really come from the sender and could his email address have been compromised?
4) Do I recognize the sender's email address?
5) Is there a way to verify if the information in the email is legitimate without clicking links from the email and without having to reply to the email?
6) Are they promising money or benefits?
7) Are they making it sound urgent to answer immediately?
8) Would this person/company contact me by email for such a request?
9) Is there errors in the text?
10) Are the links really going to bring me where I should go?
11) Is the attachment safe to open?
These are a few questions that can help reflect before responding to an email.
Scammers and spammers usually want:
1) Your personal information (bank account, PIN, email account and password, credit card number, confirmation of your name or email, etc.)
2) Infect your computer and gain control over it. They can then add it to their arsenal to collect names, accounts, passwords, to make SPAM attacks, to redirect you to Internet Sites, and for other possible reasons.
3) Money – they usually give a sense of urgency, appeal to your good nature to help someone in distress, or even promise a great deal of money if you respond.
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Let us “come together” in praying the Rosary
We know of the power of prayer and that in the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, we have the greatest of intercessors. Like a loving mother, Mary, who cares for us and listens to us, carries our prayers to her beloved Son, Jesus, our risen Lord and Saviour. Our Lord hears every sincere prayer! In these trying times let us place our hope and trust in Him.
I invite all parishioners (families, couples, individuals) of St. Mary and Our Lady of Hope, from your homes, to unite in praying the Rosary every day at 11:00 am. If you wish, you can have a different intention for each decade. Here are some suggestions. Let us pray : for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic; that all people in our communities be kept safe; for all who have died due to the virus and those who mourn their death; for all infected by COVID-19 and those who care for them; for the protection of all frontline health-care workers; that God’s Spirit may lead those involved in research to the discovery of a cure (vaccine); …
Our Lady of LaSalette … pray for us.
Our Lady of Hope … pray for us.
Livestreaming of the Diocesan Sunday Masses
The English Mass at 10 am from Holy Cross Parish, can be followed on the diocesan Facebook page at :
https://www.facebook.com/ArchSaintBoniface/live.
The French Mass at 10 am (Sts-Martyrs-Canadiens Parish), can be followed on the YouTube channel at : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLbnkM6HlRYpb4QjiXeBOg/live
