S
Superstar905
Guest
Gods presence in our lives.
I just got back from a special talk from this priest, who is in our parish St. Catherine of Siena here in Mississauga Ontario Canada for the 50th anniversary of our parish existance. I was deeply moved by this talk, by this very pious, funny, and genuine person. Has anyone here had the opportunity to hear him speak?
Today at mass, he gave every person a metal crucifix, asked us to take up the mission, and attend every night starting with tonight, until next friday for these faith renewal educational talks. He asked each person to look at that crucifix, and to contemplate the trials we have in our life, and what Jesus went through for us. He told us that it was Jesus calling us to come to these talks, not him, and that if we couldn’t make it for a reason that is NOT valid, to look at the crucifix and tell that to Jesus. It was quite a powerful message, because the Church was packed tonight.
In brief, his message was about Gods presence in our lives. That Genesis starts out by telling us the creation story, and at the end of each day, God said: " God saw that it was good ", but it was only after he had created man and woman, that he said: “God saw that it was VERY good”. He then proceeded to talk about how we are made in God’s likeness, in his very image. That we are beautiful and that every morning he wakes up and looks into the mirror and says “I am a masterpiece”…lol, that was funny. He asked all of us to turn to the person beside us and tell them that they were beautiful and good. We all were wondering why he wanted us to do this. He did so, because 25 yrs ago in Pittsburgh, he said these things to a group he was speaking to, and he saw a woman crying in the back. So he was scared he offfended her somehow. He walked to the back kind of getting nervous she was going to crack him over the head with her cane, and as he got close to her, he asked her why she was crying. She said, that for the first time in her life, someone told her she was good and beautiful. Fr. Claudio asked her, how old she was, and she replied she was 85 yrs old. So Fr. Claudio made a promise to God, that he would never do another missions without starting it with this exercise. It was truly moving.
He talked about how there is a serious problem today, of young people growing up knowing who created them (God), but not why he created them (to know, love, and serve him). This was something he knew and understood at 6 years old, but today, no body knows this. Can you imagine the tragedy of someone growing up not knowing why they exist? I think thats truly sad. He talked about our bodies being a temple of the Holy Spirit, as scripture teaches, yet we abuse our bodies with drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality, etc. He drove home the message that Jesus says we must do 2 things to be saved…
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Matthew 22:35-40
This was to emphasize the importance of tonight. Where is the presence of God in your life. You are a temple of the Holy Spirit and God dwells in you. You’re body is worthless without your spirit. If you do not love yourself (and you show this in the abuse you give to your body), how can you follow God’s commandment to love your neighbour? You cannot, simple. (heck, who we kidding, I’m just as guilty of these things as anyone). Fr. Claudio asked us, to tell your wife, husband, father, mother, sister, brother, whomever…that they are beautiful, and good…tell your father that he is a good father, and tell your mother that she is a good mother…tell one another…and you will see a change in them.
continued…
I just got back from a special talk from this priest, who is in our parish St. Catherine of Siena here in Mississauga Ontario Canada for the 50th anniversary of our parish existance. I was deeply moved by this talk, by this very pious, funny, and genuine person. Has anyone here had the opportunity to hear him speak?
Today at mass, he gave every person a metal crucifix, asked us to take up the mission, and attend every night starting with tonight, until next friday for these faith renewal educational talks. He asked each person to look at that crucifix, and to contemplate the trials we have in our life, and what Jesus went through for us. He told us that it was Jesus calling us to come to these talks, not him, and that if we couldn’t make it for a reason that is NOT valid, to look at the crucifix and tell that to Jesus. It was quite a powerful message, because the Church was packed tonight.
In brief, his message was about Gods presence in our lives. That Genesis starts out by telling us the creation story, and at the end of each day, God said: " God saw that it was good ", but it was only after he had created man and woman, that he said: “God saw that it was VERY good”. He then proceeded to talk about how we are made in God’s likeness, in his very image. That we are beautiful and that every morning he wakes up and looks into the mirror and says “I am a masterpiece”…lol, that was funny. He asked all of us to turn to the person beside us and tell them that they were beautiful and good. We all were wondering why he wanted us to do this. He did so, because 25 yrs ago in Pittsburgh, he said these things to a group he was speaking to, and he saw a woman crying in the back. So he was scared he offfended her somehow. He walked to the back kind of getting nervous she was going to crack him over the head with her cane, and as he got close to her, he asked her why she was crying. She said, that for the first time in her life, someone told her she was good and beautiful. Fr. Claudio asked her, how old she was, and she replied she was 85 yrs old. So Fr. Claudio made a promise to God, that he would never do another missions without starting it with this exercise. It was truly moving.
He talked about how there is a serious problem today, of young people growing up knowing who created them (God), but not why he created them (to know, love, and serve him). This was something he knew and understood at 6 years old, but today, no body knows this. Can you imagine the tragedy of someone growing up not knowing why they exist? I think thats truly sad. He talked about our bodies being a temple of the Holy Spirit, as scripture teaches, yet we abuse our bodies with drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality, etc. He drove home the message that Jesus says we must do 2 things to be saved…
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Matthew 22:35-40
This was to emphasize the importance of tonight. Where is the presence of God in your life. You are a temple of the Holy Spirit and God dwells in you. You’re body is worthless without your spirit. If you do not love yourself (and you show this in the abuse you give to your body), how can you follow God’s commandment to love your neighbour? You cannot, simple. (heck, who we kidding, I’m just as guilty of these things as anyone). Fr. Claudio asked us, to tell your wife, husband, father, mother, sister, brother, whomever…that they are beautiful, and good…tell your father that he is a good father, and tell your mother that she is a good mother…tell one another…and you will see a change in them.
continued…
