Bulletin: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
What you need to know from this weekend’s bulletin:
The Next Reality
November 14, 2021
Today’s gospel indicates that we are almost at the end of a liturgical cycle. Jesus gives us today a report on the last days. It seems that all would go wrong: revolutions, fights among nations, natural disasters, extreme weather disturbances, signs in the skies, betrayals and a litany of all other apocalyptic fears. On December 31 in the year 999, the old Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome was filled with people in sackcloth and ashes expecting a sudden end to the world. And we all remember how many expected the same end to the world again at the beginning of the third millennium. In a way, true religion is born and built on tested faith, applied hope and activated love, often ushered in by the extreme circumstances of life.
The current anxiety over the end of the world is similar to the expectation of the early Christians about Christ’s imminent return. During Paul’s time, the expectation of Christ’s imminent return was construed as an excuse for giving up productive work, a license for social irresponsibility and an alibi to act as pious busybodies. Paul’s rule that “anyone unwilling to work should not eat” was invoked in the context of this mentality.
We still have to continue to tackle today’s tasks and challenges. After all, eternity is shaped by today’s efforts. Today’s gospel exhortation is courageous constancy amidst fear and anxiety. In all our troubles, we have to see the opportunity to witness to our faith, confident of God’s grace and our ultimate redemption. We have to live our life in accordance with the will of God. We have to strive to be more conscientious with doing His will in everything we do or plan to do in this journey from our earthly life to the eternal life Christ has won for all of us.
As we gather today, reflecting on the end of our own life and the end of the world, we continue to work and pray for peace in the world, for justice in our communities and in our world. We continue to pray for those who are upset because of their fear for the future, for people, especially children, who are abused in their homes or place of work and for those whom love and hate us. We have to work for the coming of God’s kingdom in our world through our respective professions or state of life.
May our Eucharistic celebration, that relives the endurance and perseverance of our Lord Jesus in his suffering and death on the cross, inspire in all of us, these same virtues of endurance and perseverance as we continue to tackle daily tasks with their inherent difficulties and challenges.
FrEdmund@saintmichael.ca
Oliver Vargas †
In the charity of your prayers, please pray for the repose of the soul of Oliver Vargas, eldest brother of Fr. Edmund. He died on November 9 in the Philippines at the age of 76 years. The funeral will be on November 16. May he rest in peace!
SSVP Christmas Hampers:
Hamper Night is on December 14
We are happy to announce that St. Michael’s will have Christmas hamper distributions this year. Due to COVID restrictions, we will have a smaller event, but we need your assistance more than ever as requests for help at Christmas are coming in. SSVP is working to meet the needs and deliver hampers while maintaining the safety of our volunteers and recipients.
This year, we’re unable to handle food donations but we will process Angel Tree gifts. SSVP will purchase all required food from our wholesaler and would welcome your support for this in the form of monetary donations. Donations to SSVP may be dropped in the collection basket, placed in a green SSVP donation envelope and dropped at the church in the SSVP locked box located in our Food Chest, or made online: Donate Now– St. Michael Catholic Community (Canadahelps.org). Please select: Society of St. Vincent de Paul (including Christmas Hampers) in the “Funds” drop-down menu. Tax receipts will be issued in January 2022 for any monetary donations.
Angel Tree
Look for the Angel tree table set-up in the Gathering Area. For all those interested in purchasing a gift, angels with gift ideas will be dispensed after weekend Masses Sunday, November 21, Saturday, November 27 and Sunday, November 28. For those of you unable to attend Mass in person to obtain an angel you can still purchase a gift for a child in need. Email us at 2021angeltree@gmail.com and indicate how many angels you would like to buy gifts for. Please provide your name and a contact phone number.
We are looking for 2-3 volunteers to dispense angels on the above mentioned dates. If you would like to volunteer, or have any questions, please contact SSVP@saintmichael.ca.
2022 Contribution Envelopes
Next year’s 2022 contribution envelopes are now available for pickup in the Gathering Area. Please look for your name alphabetically-organized, and note that your number may have changed from last year. If you have any questions, call the parish office at 403-249-0423.
Parish Pastoral Council
In the process of re-establishing the Parish Pastoral Council, please provide five (5) names of parishioners who you think and feel can represent our community. Please email the names to Luisa Adams at ladams@saintmichael.ca. Deadline for submission is Tuesday, November 16.
Liturgy 101 with Fr. Edmund
Fr. Edmund will be hosting sessions that explore basic liturgical guidelines on celebrations, worship space designs and furnishings. The gathering provides an open forum. This continuing dialogue/formation strives to eventually come up with a comprehensive program and protocols for various ministries which can be helpful in our volunteer campaign, training & evaluation.
There will be 3 sessions held in the Main Sanctuary:
Saturday, November 13, 6-7 p.m. after the 5 p.m. Mass
Sunday November 14, noon-1 p.m. after the 11 a.m. Mass
Sunday, November 14, 6-7 p.m. after the 5 p.m. Mass
Indoor Social Gatherings
Due to provincial temporary measures, indoor social gathering after Mass or in the parish halls is not permitted. Please refrain from socializing in the Church after Mass.
Mass Intentions
We are no longer accepting any Mass bookings until December 15th as we are fully booked until December 31st.
Mass Schedule for this Weekend
Saturday, November 13, 5:00 PM – Fr. Edmund Vargas
Sunday, November 14, 9:00 AM – Fr. Edmund Vargas
Sunday, November 14, 11:00 AM & 5:00 PM – Fr. Raul Hernandez