By: Fr. John Jasica

A NEW MESSAGE SERIES
WITH EXTRA HELP

Beginning this weekend, I will be preaching a new summer message series called MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE.  It has been a little while since I have preached in a series format but I have to admit, it is my favourite way to preach.  It takes a bit more work and challenges me to be much more organized—but in the end, I truly love building a message over multiple weeks that inspires and encourages all of us to live the Gospel!!

This series was not created alone.  I am thankful to the members of our newly formed MESSAGE TEAM (made up of parishioners and staff) who are now helping me by offering feedback, insights, personal examples and their perspective of the weekend readings.  This is a new venture that I hope will help me preach better, making sure what I share can truly resonate with those who come to Mass and pray online.  As we form future message series, we will also be sharing notes and involving Fr. TJ, Fr. Slawek and our deacons so that all of us in our own way can preach one message at all our seven weekend Masses.  This will help us as preachers to be more effective, seeking to touch the hearts of the faithful and allow the Good News to be more relevant in our daily lives.

FOCUS OF THE SERIES

The focus of this summer series will revolve around these main points:

(1) We think that God asks us to do the impossible—but he empowers & equips us to do impossible things.

So often we think that God demands things way beyond our capabilities—thinking that we have to prove ourselves.  God doesn’t demand the impossible but through His grace and love, He enables us to do the impossible so that we can be instruments of grace and love for the world.

(2) God helps us discover how powerful we really are by challenging us to grow.

If we open our hearts, surrender our will to Christ and walk with Him, we truly end up discovering how powerful we are (through God’s grace and the Holy Spirit) and how we can truly change the world with the Good News.  This is not done easily, but the Lord invites us to risk—knowing that Jesus is always there for us.  Faith is not a wall that keeps things at bay.  Faith challenges us to discover who God is and who we are.  Faith helps us grow in our understanding that life is not about ourselves but about how we love the Lord and seek to love others—especially those on the fringes.

(3) We need to step out of our comfort zone to change.

In order to make things possible with God that are impossible on our own—we need to change.  This means that we have to step out of our comfort zone and always humbly seek to do God’s will and not our own.  Sometimes we think that what God calls us to do is the opposite of what we want to do.  This is not the case even though it may seem to be that way on the surface.  God knows us better than we know ourselves and so we need to trust that He will lead us and transform us in a way that makes us the best we can be.  If we want to make a difference in our world—we need to change and be willing to step forward with love, service, joy and hope.

HOMILY #1 - GOD ALONE SATISFIES THE DEEPEST HUNGER OF THE HUMAN HEART

This weekend I begin the series with the first homily that reminds us that only God can fill our hearts perfectly and He does it without a price.  It is freely given.  Despite knowing that the Lord always takes care of us and is on our side, we seek so many other things to satisfy us—which always fall short and costs us so much!!.

All of these “other things” end up being distractions or satisfy us for a brief period of time and then fade away leaving us empty and wanting more.  Alone some of these things may not be bad or wrong, but if these “other things” are at the heart of who we are and what we desire—we drift from God’s grace into darkness.  This includes money, fame, fortune, popularity, attention, control, power and so much more.  God alone satisfies our hunger for peace, joy and fulfillment.