Today is the commemoration of "All Souls" in the Church. It follows the great day of the "Solemnity of All Saints" on November 1st, and "Halloween"on October 31st which developed in the West since the early Renaissance. In October, 2014, I wrote a post on "Halloween"and its Christian significance especially today with the invasion of the West by radical Islam, which can be read here. Today, many Christians in the West have forgotten their Christian roots and, under the influence of materialism and two World Wars with existential philosophies since The Enlightenment, became atheists or at least fell away from their Christian baptism. However, I recall with devotion the souls of persons I know that departed to God especially my mother of blessed memory and my mother-in-law of blessed memory. They both suffered for me since my heart problems started in 1986. I thank God for their care and the care given to me by great persons including physicians, bishops, priests (here and here) and, above all, God's own blessings through His Son Jesus Christ who merits by His continuing love, cross, and Resurrection the eternal joy given to saints. In the Book of Revelation Christ says "Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3: 20). In the Last Judgment, Christ will judge everyone according to what that person did to those in need (Matt. 25: 31-46). In the 20th century, Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote with the same spirit his book "Dare we hope that all men be saved?" in which he and many Christians pray that the merciful love of God may save every one in His judgment of mankind. The selfless loving God who created every person in His image is "Our Father" who runs after the "Prodigal Son" and meets him (see here and here).
The Solemnity of All Saints is an opportunity for Christians to think of saints and, above all, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God who is the 'Woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet" in Revelation (12: 1-18) - See also "The Queen Spouse and The Dragon" here as this post refers to interpretations of the Blessed Virgin in salvation and eternal joy by great theologians. Of particular importance is this talk by Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Mary "The Woman I love" here. She always points us to Christ - See also "Who Will Triumph" here. After the humble and pure Virgin Mary, come many saints since ancient times - St. George the Great is my patron saint too (see his story here) and so are St. Rita of Cascia (see here) and the Little Flower of Lisieux St. Thérèse of the Infant Jesus proclaimed the greatest saint in modern times by Pope Pius XI in her canonization in 1925. Other beloved saints include the Curé of Ars, St. Jean Vianney, St. Athanasius the Great who dared to challenge the Arian heresy in the 4th century (see here) and the first humanist St. Francis of Assisi called the Alter Christus (see here).
May the Lord help each and every one to discover His love and attempt to do as much as he can with deeds of love towards those in need and become a Christian in following Christ who is the only way to heaven.
Friday, November 2, 2018
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Human Angels
In today's homily at the 10 am Mass in Holy Rosary parish in Toronto, Fr. Professor Daniel Callam spoke about Bartimaeus the Blind whose eyes were opened by Jesus (Mark 10: 46-52) Fr. Callam said that we all need the power of Jesus who is "all and in all" (Colossians 3: 11).
I have sensed this power of Christ through the suffering of many people especially my mother of blessed memory, my mother in-law of blessed memory and my wife since my heart problems that started in 1986. The angels of the Lord worked in the great doctors that treated me with much care. I gave one case in my post here - This is where I was introduced to reading the Bible by a human angel - a nurse who opened my eyes to the wonders of God. She also accompanied me to the Mass in the chapel celebrated by a Catholic priest even when she was a Protestant. She helped me be seated at the front and receive the holy Eucharist. I wrote too about my longer experience that with the help of many physicians, the Lord extended my life (For more see here). Since May 2018 I have also been examined by my new cardiologist Professor Dr. Antonio Rocca, a devoted Christian who regularly attends the Mass, who will see me on November 1st at the Polyclinic. I have also been followed closely by Dr. Michael Vecchio, a Christian missionary whose clinic is full of great pro-life pictures including St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and statues of great saints such as St. Francis of Assisi. Dr. Vecchio is the one who referred me to Dr. Rocca.
Other human angels include a lady who has a doctorate in French literature from the University of Toronto - Yet she calls me every day as a caring friend of us.
This post would be missing the most important events in my life if I do not add my experience in the spiritual-humanitarian realm. I recall with much love the late saintly Archbishop Paul Antaki who was Patriarchal Vicar of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church over the See of Alexandria (see here and here). He trained me and others too in much of Biblical studies and the Apostolic Movements while in Egypt, and visited me here in Toronto. He was a true shepherd for his sheep...I am also indebted to God for having the presence of the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad and the other equally-Jesuit scholar Fr. Samir Khalil Samir in my life. They pray for me, and give me much knowledge in homilies, lectures, and retreats that I listen to - (see my post here as an example on the thoughts of Fr. Boulad, here on his mission to change the world, and here on his homily "The Scandal of the Incarnation"). I have found two great scholars who became my confessors at Holy Rosary parish in Toronto: Fr. Daniel Callam, CSB; a professor with a PhD. from Oxford who has regularly taught at St. Thomas University in Houston (see here his lecture on the Creed and the Sacrament of Baptism), Texas and Msgr. Robert Nusca; a Biblical scholar with a PhD since 1998 and professor at the Augustinian Seminary in Toronto. I am also indebted to God for having known many excellent Melkite Catholic priests in Toronto and particularly for having known Fr. Georges Farah whose credentials include a doctorate in philosophy and another in theology from the Sorbonne University in Paris - He taught at the Paulist Seminary in Lebanon and oversaw the purchase of the first Greek Melkite Catholic parish in Toronto through his efforts and others too. His homilies and lectures were distinguished by a deep understanding of philosophy and theology. He entrusted me with giving lectures to adults from 2004 until 2011 when he retired. Here is one of Fr. Farah's lectures on the joy of Christmas (here) and another on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (here).
God is the true desire of our hearts. "We will not rest until we find him" says St. Augustine. St. Thomas Aquinas reiterates the above reality. God is the cause and object of all created persons and of the creation order (see Thomism here).
The above tells us that we are all related to each other - Technology may have helped facilitate these relations but what is important is the beauty of the heart (post here).
Need we say more? I would rather sing this beautiful hymn with the congregation at St. Anne's in Belfast...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw5ZCZeS32M
I have sensed this power of Christ through the suffering of many people especially my mother of blessed memory, my mother in-law of blessed memory and my wife since my heart problems that started in 1986. The angels of the Lord worked in the great doctors that treated me with much care. I gave one case in my post here - This is where I was introduced to reading the Bible by a human angel - a nurse who opened my eyes to the wonders of God. She also accompanied me to the Mass in the chapel celebrated by a Catholic priest even when she was a Protestant. She helped me be seated at the front and receive the holy Eucharist. I wrote too about my longer experience that with the help of many physicians, the Lord extended my life (For more see here). Since May 2018 I have also been examined by my new cardiologist Professor Dr. Antonio Rocca, a devoted Christian who regularly attends the Mass, who will see me on November 1st at the Polyclinic. I have also been followed closely by Dr. Michael Vecchio, a Christian missionary whose clinic is full of great pro-life pictures including St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and statues of great saints such as St. Francis of Assisi. Dr. Vecchio is the one who referred me to Dr. Rocca.
Other human angels include a lady who has a doctorate in French literature from the University of Toronto - Yet she calls me every day as a caring friend of us.
This post would be missing the most important events in my life if I do not add my experience in the spiritual-humanitarian realm. I recall with much love the late saintly Archbishop Paul Antaki who was Patriarchal Vicar of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church over the See of Alexandria (see here and here). He trained me and others too in much of Biblical studies and the Apostolic Movements while in Egypt, and visited me here in Toronto. He was a true shepherd for his sheep...I am also indebted to God for having the presence of the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad and the other equally-Jesuit scholar Fr. Samir Khalil Samir in my life. They pray for me, and give me much knowledge in homilies, lectures, and retreats that I listen to - (see my post here as an example on the thoughts of Fr. Boulad, here on his mission to change the world, and here on his homily "The Scandal of the Incarnation"). I have found two great scholars who became my confessors at Holy Rosary parish in Toronto: Fr. Daniel Callam, CSB; a professor with a PhD. from Oxford who has regularly taught at St. Thomas University in Houston (see here his lecture on the Creed and the Sacrament of Baptism), Texas and Msgr. Robert Nusca; a Biblical scholar with a PhD since 1998 and professor at the Augustinian Seminary in Toronto. I am also indebted to God for having known many excellent Melkite Catholic priests in Toronto and particularly for having known Fr. Georges Farah whose credentials include a doctorate in philosophy and another in theology from the Sorbonne University in Paris - He taught at the Paulist Seminary in Lebanon and oversaw the purchase of the first Greek Melkite Catholic parish in Toronto through his efforts and others too. His homilies and lectures were distinguished by a deep understanding of philosophy and theology. He entrusted me with giving lectures to adults from 2004 until 2011 when he retired. Here is one of Fr. Farah's lectures on the joy of Christmas (here) and another on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (here).
God is the true desire of our hearts. "We will not rest until we find him" says St. Augustine. St. Thomas Aquinas reiterates the above reality. God is the cause and object of all created persons and of the creation order (see Thomism here).
The above tells us that we are all related to each other - Technology may have helped facilitate these relations but what is important is the beauty of the heart (post here).
Need we say more? I would rather sing this beautiful hymn with the congregation at St. Anne's in Belfast...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw5ZCZeS32M
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