Sunday Liturgy
Saturday: 5:00 pm
Sunday: 11:00 am
Mission Statement
We are a welcoming Christian community called to embrace and respect the uniqueness of each individual as we join together in our faith and worship. Our ongoing mission is to engage our youth, promote renewal, out reach, evangelization and ecumenical cooperation.
MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
Monday, February 23rd – 9:00 am Brian McMurray
Tuesday, February 24th – 9:00 am Louise Guimond
Tuesday, February 24th — 12 Noon Funeral Mass (Gloria McGrath)
Wednesday, February 25th – 9:00 am Souls at rest in Tower Hill Cemetery
Thursday, February 26th – 9:00 am Mike/Tom Reid
Friday, February 27th – 9:00 am Clifton MacDougall
Saturday, February 28th – 5:00 pm Eileen Higgins
Sunday, March 1st – 11:00 am Julie Anne Harrity
Weekly Reflections (Homily) from Msgr. Sheehan (February 20, 2026)
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT
Dear friends;
I want to read a little passage… from a sacred author – the letter of James… it is related to our gospel to-day…
“Never, when you have been tempted say, “God sent the temptation – God cannot be tempted to do anything wrong – and He does not tempt anybody. Everyone who is tempted is attracted and seduced by his own wrong desire. Then the desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it too has a child, and the child is death.” (JS. 1, 13-15)
The Christian presentation of temptation – can be found in two classic stories in scripture… That of Adam and Eve in the garden in Genesis – and that of Jesus in the desert in the Synoptics, our reading to-day. And they both contain in kernel the fundamental issue of temptation – the desire to be other than human.
Evil is ever able to play on that desire… For to be human is to be mortal and contingent – “dependent upon”… and we are… not God… we do everything possible to try and forget it, deny it… and act as if we are not human.
In the Book of Genesis – Adam and Eve are urged by the serpent to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree – and to be like Gods who know what is good and what is bad. (3, 5)
In a way – it is at the beginning – a temptation to not remain human – (that is vulnerable, dependent, limited…) and “be like Gods.” They succumb to the temptation, and the result is that they experience ever more painfully their human vulnerability and mortality.
In the Gospels, (especially in Matthew), Jesus, at the start of his ministry – goes into the desert, and He is tempted – and again – the temptation revolves – not around His divinity… but His humanity.
The tempter is basically saying – “You don’t have to be human to accomplish what you want…”
1. “You can have great power – misuse it”
2. “You do not have to respect the laws of nature, for growth, for time – for
people – for persons—for the intricacies of each individual…”
3. “You can worship other things but God… basically – there is no need to
experience human need – and – the human condition. Both of which
involve – suffering, longing, living in dependence on others, being
vulnerable, communicating with others – sharing their hopes – their
setbacks – being in relation with others – being in relation to others…”
The “tempter” is offering conditions under which Jesus would not truly experience being human – power, possessions, pride…
“You can control all”
“You can have all”
“You can be all”
And varying degrees these are the temptations of everyone…
“If I control all… and have all power… I can do anything… I can have everything I want… I don’t need anybody… I don’t need to depend on anybody…”
For Jesus – the temptations – are placed at the beginning of his public ministry – and the temptations – are presented at his choosing not to give in to a way of life which denied his humanity… and all that meant… he would embrace – all that being fully human meant…
A stance before God – of dependence, of vulnerability, of relating with the disciples patiently, slowly leading them, walking dusty roads with them, putting up with their lack of understanding, accepting their differences – subjecting himself to the opposition, hostility of the Scribes & Pharisees, to the taunts of the soldiers – and finally to the sufferings of his passion and death… the presence of evil – is there throughout his ministry…
And the early church in presenting us the temptations – and reflecting on them – did not see them as God testing Jesus – but as reality in his life – that he was so one with them – as experiencing so fully their humanity – which always includes temptation: and in which – the best of and in each of us – can be brought out – and that his manner of overcoming them gave his followers the possibility of facing them, and overcoming them themselves…
And these two beautiful – and comforting texts from the Epistle to the Hebrews… highlighting Jesus’ solidarity with us and ours with him:
“For it is not as if we have a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weeknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are – though he is without sin.” (Heb. 4, 14)
And again:
“It was essential that he should in this way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest – able to atone for human sins – because he himself has been through temptation, he is able to help others who are tempted.” (Heb. 2, 17–18)
Let us reflect on this during this Lent – and embrace our humanity with all its limitations… and all its possibilities.
Amen.