Free ride service to Newmarket food banks at risk

A service that provides free rides to food banks and community meals in Newmarket and elsewhere throughout York Region may be grounded if it doesn’t raise the money it needs to keep going.

The Ride to Food program, operated by the regionwide not-for-profit organization Routes Connecting Communities, lost some regional funding for 2020.

Read the full news report: Free ride service to food banks at risk of shutting down.

Why we don't help the global poor. Should we?

"The gospel accounts of Jesus portray him as giving more emphasis to helping the poor than to any other ethical concern, so this should be a top priority for all Christians."

"In addition, for Catholics especially, the church has taught, at least as far back as Ambrose, and continuing through Thomas Aquinas to several recent papal pronouncements, that what the rich have in “superabundance” is owed, by natural right, to the poor for their subsistence. That is very similar in its implications to the position that I hold."

Interestingly, these are the words of a committed atheist, Peter Singer, in an interview with Charles C. Camosy, Associate Professor of Theological and Social Ethics at the Jesuits' Fordham University. The interview is published under the title, "Peter Singer on why we don't help the global poor and why we should."

Daily Advent Meditations with Pope Francis and Laudato Si'

These meditations were originally published in 2015 by St. Vincent de Paul Parish Community in Baltimore.

 

Sunday, Dec. 1: God's loving plan

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul - who are we?

New Corporate video of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, from the International General Council. The video is focused on the people who make up the society, their faith and their commitment to others.

Third World Day of the Poor - Questions for reflection and discussion 

The numbers in parentheses refer to the Pope's Message which can be linked to here, a summary of which follows below the questions.

1. The Pope says (#9) that the poor "save" us. In what way do the poor save us? Which gospel passage do you think the pope is referring to? How does this affect how you view the poor?
2. When Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom, whom did he place at the centre (#5)? What task did he entrust to us? Do you feel up to the task? What are some possible next steps you can take? Do you consider yourself a disciple of Jesus?
3. What does the pope mean by "social imbalances" (#1) and "bondage" (#2)? What social imbalance and bondage have you personally witnessed whether in yourself or others?
4. Who, or what groups of people, in your community and parish boundaries might be feeling like strangers or outcasts (#6)? How welcome do you think they would feel if they walked into our church for Sunday mass?
5. What do you think the pope means by "stifling individualism" or "small circles of spiritual intimacy with no influence on social life" (#6)? What should make this impossible for disciples of Jesus?
6. On this World Day of the Poor, what else can we offer beyond material assistance (#7)? What is an indispensable start for having a true concern for the poor?
7. Who makes God's love visible for the poor (#8)? What do the poor need even more than a hot meal or sandwich?
8. We talk about "the poor", but what is the danger in always using this term (#9)? Who or what are "the poor"?
9. What can we offer the poor (#10)? Why? Can we do it alone?

Here is a summary with extracts from the Pope's Message announcing the Third World Day of the Poor.

Third World Day of the Poor - Vatican Announcement

Pope's message:  they are not parasites of society

Learning the Land: Walking the talk of Indigenous Land acknowledgements

Indigenous activists have drawn attention to threatened waterways, neglected Residential School cemeteries and other social issues by walking across Land. Here a group of settlers on an Indigenous Land acknowledgment pilgrimage. Laurence Brisson/The Concordian, Author provided

Matthew Robert Anderson, Concordia University
University, religious, sports and other gatherings often begin with an Indigenous Land acknowledgement. For instance, this article was written in Montréal, or Tiohtiá:ke, on the traditional and unceded territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk), a place which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst nations.
Land acknowledgements recognize what for some Canadians is an uncomfortable truth. These are formal statements that recognize “the unique and enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.”
On Land where territorial treaties were negotiated, the acknowledgement may use the term “traditional Lands,” and go on to specify the treaty and its number (Treaty 4, for example, includes much of southern Saskatchewan.) Land is so important that Gregory Younging — scholar, editor and author of the copyeditor’s book Indigenous Style — insisted Land be capitalized.
But when governmental and business meetings are far less likely to include acknowledgements of Indigenous Land titles, or when artistic and educational events move from initial statements to silence about their political and economic ramifications, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that such recognition is simply lip service.
What do groups mean when they say they recognize Indigenous presence, resilience and Land? And how can settler groups begin to walk the talk?

The spirit of egotism or the spirit of sacrifice - October reflection

(Updated 8 October 2019)

Jesus told the pharisees: “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow, red sky in the morning means bad weather today.’ You are good at reading the signs of the weather in the sky, but you can’t read the obvious signs of the times!” (Matthew 16:2-3)

Bl. Frederick Ozanam beautifully illustrated what it means to  read the signs of the times in this following extract from a letter  that he wrote to a friend in 1838. Listen to these words bearing in mind that the 2nd French Revolution occurred in 1830 and the 3rd revolt happened in 1848, the same year that the Communist Manifesto was published.

Barricades at Rue Soufflot on 24 June 1848 - Vernet

The question which divides people in our day is no longer a question of political forms, it is a social question—that of deciding whether the spirit of egotism or the spirit of sacrifice is to carry the day; whether society is to be a huge traffic for the benefit of the strongest, or the consecration of each for the benefit of all, and above all for the protection of the weak. There are many who already have too much, and who wish to possess still more; there are a greater number who have not enough, and who want to seize it if it is not given to them. Between these two classes of people a struggle is imminent, and it threatens to be terrible—on one side the power of gold, on the other the power of despair. It is between these two opposing armies that we must precipitate ourselves.

Talking to us about this quotation at our recent "Recharge the Batteries" event, Fr Roy commented that this letter was prophetic. Indeed it was, coming ten years before the "third" revolution and the publication of the Communist Manifesto.

Feast day of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam

September 9 is the feast day of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam.

A man convinced of the inestimable worth of each human being, Frédéric served the poor of Paris well and drew others into serving the poor of the world. Through the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, which he founded, his work continues to the present day.

“Frédéric Ozanam believed in love, the love of God for every individual. He felt himself called to love, giving the example of a great love for God and others. He went to all those who needed to be loved more than others, those to whom the love of God could not be revealed effectively except through the love of another person. There Ozanam discovered his vocation, the path to which Christ called him. He found his road to sanctity. And he followed it with determination.” 
- Pope John Paul II

Ozanam was beatified by Pope John Paul II, in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, on August 22, 1997.

Spiritual Reflection for September - Charity & Justice

Charity and Justice

We are well acquainted with the two-fold commandment that Jesus quoted, to love God with all we've got and to love our neighbour as ourselves. (See Matthew 22:36-40.) To be commanded to love is somewhat paradoxical. The act of loving, of course, can only be done voluntarily: we cannot be dragged kicking and screaming to love; we choose to love or not to love. But, for us as Christians, it is nevertheless a matter of obligation. 'Love, or take the consequences.' The paradoxical nature of Jesus' command helps us better understand what Jesus intends here. He is NOT commanding us to have warm, fuzzy feelings in our hearts for God and our neighbour. Trying to work up such feelings inside of ourselves would not be a good place to start rolling out how to fulfil the Great Commandment. This love is to be exercised in action, not emotion, by acts of compassion and kindness.

"I have come to set the earth on fire" - Jesus of Nazareth

Here is the Pope's address before the Angelus today...

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

In today’s Gospel (Lk 12:49-53), Jesus warns the disciples that the time to make a decision has come. His coming into the world, in fact, coincides with the time to make decisive choices: choosing the Gospel cannot be postponed. And to better understand His call, He uses the image of fire that He Himself came to bring to earth. Thus, He says: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing”. These words are intended to help the disciples abandon any attitude of laziness, apathy, indifference and closure, to welcome the fire of God’s love; that love which, as Saint Paul reminds us, “has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom 5:5). Because it is the Holy Spirit that makes us love God and makes us love our neighbor; it is the Holy Spirit that we all have inside.

Spiritual Reflection, Summer 2019 - Attitude

When a person first learns to fly airplanes, this pilot-to-be is trained to fly under what is called VFR. This is an acronym for Visual Flight Rules where the pilot relies on being able to see the horizon in front and on the sides. Only later do they learn IFR, Instrument Flight Rules, whereby flying is purely with reference to flight deck instruments and navigation under direction from Air Traffic Control.

Visual Flight Rules provides a good analogy for many life circumstances, but a particularly beautiful one for Christians and, in particular, for Vincentians and people in ministry to others. This is because VFR is all about two basic words: attitude and power.

The priest, the scribe and the Good Samaritan

... and who is my neighbour?

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) - German Lutheran pastor and anti-Nazi dissident who was martyred for his words and actions at Flossenburg prison camp in 1945. After the war some German Christians did not think Bonhoeffer should be called a martyr because he was not executed for "religious" reasons.

When Religion Cannot Ignore Politics

Those of us who believe in the sacred inviolability of life from conception to natural death usually have no difficulty speaking out against politicians and governments on the issue of abortion. For some reason, we tend to tread more lightly and be less vocal when it comes to quality of life for children after birth. Newsweek sent me the following daily briefing in my email. I was appalled by what I read.

I hope Newsweek does not mind too much that I reproduce it here without comment other than to say, in my personal opinion, politics has crossed the line.

Spiritual reflection for June from National

Referring to the spiritual reflection for June from National Conference, Louisa Steele, our local conference president, writes: This Spiritual Reflection received from National contains important insight into how God is present while we perform our services to the poor as well as help one another to grow in the knowledge and love of God.

Here is the link where you can read the SSVP National Conference SPIRITUAL REFLECTION - JUNE 2019.

Feast of the Ascension

Feast of the Ascension

How about we try this? Let's read this reflection on the Feast of the Ascension by Sr. Mary McGlone and then, between now and up to the Feast of Pentecost next week, we pray daily for our Vincentian Conference - as a community and for each and every individual - that the Holy Spirit fall afresh on us with new power, wisdom and courage.

As an aid, you might like to pray this prayer to the Holy Spirit of St. Pope John XXIII which he prayed upon opening the Second Vatican Council:


We stand before you, Holy Spirit,
conscious of our sinfulness,
but aware that we
gather in your name.

Come to us, remain with us,
and enlighten our hearts.
Give us light and strength
to know your will,
to make it our own, and to
live it in our lives.

Guide us by your wisdom,
support us by your power,
for you are God, sharing the
glory of Father and Son.

You desire justice for all:
enable us to uphold the rights of others;
do not allow us to be misled by ignorance
or corrupted by fear or favour.
Unite us to yourself in the bond of love
and keep us faithful to all that is true.

As we gather in your name
may we temper justice with love,
so that all our decisions may be pleasing
to you, and earn the reward promised to
good and faithful servants.

You live and reign with the Father
and the Son, One God, forever and ever.
Amen.

What is Harm Reduction?

What is Harm Reduction?

On their web page dedicated to this topic, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) tells us...

Harm Reduction is an evidence-based, client-centred approach that seeks to reduce the health and social harms associated with addiction and substance use, without necessarily requiring people who use substances from abstaining or stopping. Included in the harm reduction approach to substance use is a series of programs, services and practices. Essential to a harm reduction approach is that it provides people who use substances a choice of how they will minimize harms through non-judgemental and non-coercive strategies in order to enhance skills and knowledge to live safer and healthier lives.

CMHA goes on to tell us...

Harm reduction acknowledges that many individuals coping with addiction and problematic substance use may not be in a position to remain abstinent from their substance of choice. The harm reduction approach provides an option for users to engage with peers, medical and social services in a non-judgemental way that will ‘meet them where they are.’  This allows for a health oriented response to substance use, and it has been proven that those who engage in harm reduction services are more likely to engage in ongoing treatment as a result of accessing these services. Some harm reduction initiatives have also reduced blood borne illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, and have decreased the rates of deaths due to drug overdoses.

Read more here to find out some examples of harm reduction and the goals of harm reduction.

Pray before "the fixed tabernacle and mobile tabernacles"

"We will be helped by staying before the tabernacle and before the many living tabernacles who are the poor. The Eucharist and the poor, the fixed tabernacle and the mobile tabernacles: It is there that we remain in love and absorb the mentality of bread broken," that is of Jesus, who gives himself in the Eucharist.

Pope Francis spoke these words on May 23 when he opened the general assembly of Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based federation of national Catholic charities with some 450 delegates from around the world.

"... Jesus asks us to remain in him, not in our ideas; to leave behind a desire to control and run things. He asks us to trust one another and give ourselves to the other."

"... Seek in others the presence of God, who does not dwell in the greatness of the things we do, but in the smallness of the poor we encounter. If we do not look directly at them, we end up always looking at ourselves and making them instruments of our self-affirmation."

Read the full report on this event: True charity means focusing on Jesus and the poor, pope says, by Cindy Wooden in the National Catholic Reporter.

May 13 - "Do you love me?"

On the 3rd Sunday of Easter we heard the Gospel reading from St. John where Jesus, risen from the tomb, appears to the apostles on the shore of the lake where they had been fishing all night without a catch. In that gospel reading there is the well-known interchange between Jesus and Peter where Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. Preachers and scripture scholars tell us that this is the point where Peter is not only forgiven for his triple denial of his Lord - also beside a charcoal fire - but that it is also the very point where Peter is given his apostolic mission as chief shepherd of the flock of Christ.

This is all described very poignantly in a reflection by Sr. Mary McGlone SSJ where she points out how we cannot really be used by Jesus in the mission he has for us until we are confronted by our sinfulness and weakness, and brought to a place where we experience forgiveness by the Lord's gratuitous love. She actually titled her post, "Only sinners need apply"

May 9, Feast of St. Louise de Marillac

On May 9, we celebrate St. Louise de Marillac. Louise was born in Paris on August 12, 1591. She met Vincent de Paul in 1625. Over the next 45 years, they were an effective team and supported each other in their service to the poor and the sick and they founded the Daughters of Charity. She died on March 15, 1660. Beatified in 1920, canonized in 1934, Louise was proclaimed patron saint of social workers in 1960.

Stations of the Resurrection (Via Lucis)

Have you heard of the "Stations of the Resurrection"?

In this article posted in FAMVIN, Fr.  John Freund, CM tells us how we can use these Easter "Stations" to help us be people of Easter life, hope and joy: Being Easter People in a Good Friday/Holy Saturday World.

Feast of St. Joseph the Worker - Who do we work for?

Today's feast of St. Joseph the Worker is a good opportunity to pause and ask ourselves if we are affording work and workers the dignity with which God views work and those who work.

Image: freepik.com

Workers have not always been treated with dignity and, in many instances and places, they still are not so treated. Unions did not arise because workers had nothing better to do with their time. They arose because workers were treated like disposable machinery, useful only insofar as they increased the company's bottom line.

In this article posted in National Catholic Reporter, Michael Sean Winters S.J. gives us food for thought appropriate to today's feast. Read for yourself Today's feast is a moment to reflect on the dignity of workers
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/todays-feast-moment-reflect-dignity-workers

CHANGING TIMES - APRIL 2019 - from the SSVP National Newsletter

Johanna Cross is the new Social Justice rep for BC and Yukon. This is an article she posted on the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul - National Council of Canada website (https://www.ssvp.ca) with the subtitle, "I’m the New Social Justice Rep for BC and Yukon… Now What?"
(https://www.ssvp.ca/newsletters/social-justice/changing-times-april-2019). Click on this link to go to the original post where you can also download a PDF version if you wish. 
The article is reproduced below for your convenience.

A few months ago my name was put forward to be the new Social Justice rep for BC and Yukon.  I fully admitted that I didn’t know much about social justice but I’d be willing to take a huge leap of faith and say YES - so here I am!

Papal documentation of the importance of social justice dates back to Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum in 1891 which stressed the dignity of every human person as well as the common good. Each pope, since, and up to Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudate Si, has written about social justice, laying the foundation of what is The Social Doctrine of the Church.

At the BC and Yukon Regional SSVP AGA in May 2019, the importance of social justice as part of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul mandate will be put forward. The expected result is that social justice will become a Rule; that is every conference will be required to have social justice on their regular agenda.

Ontario’s cuts to legal aid will hurt the poorest

On Good Friday this year, as on every Good Friday, I read about the trial of Jesus Christ before Pontius Pilate and how, in a travesty of justice the Roman Governor caved to the demands of the ruling religious elite in Jerusalem and sentenced Christ to execution with two rebel bandits. This year on good Friday I also read in the Toronto Star how legal aid, already meagre, will be further cut to Ontario's poorest and most vulnerable.

Syrian Refugee Children (globalnews.ca)

For Christians who believe that the risen Christ hides in plain sight in the poor, the weak and the vulnerable, Good Friday is a very fitting occasion to publicise this cut in services resulting in further travesty against those without the means to represent themselves in court, refugee claimants and, often, the victims of such horrific crimes as child abuse, murder, manslaughter and sexual assault against minors because the perpetrators are not being tried soon enough and are simply being set free by the courts.

Read the full opinion piece here: Ontario’s cuts to legal aid will hurt the poorest.
https://spon.ca/ontarios-cuts-to-legal-aid-will-hurt-the-poorest/2019/04/20/

The health of immigrant and refugee children after their arrival in Canada

As Vincentians, we not only want to help the poor, but we need to work with others to find and address the root causes of poverty and its effects in all its forms.

The first comprehensive research project in Canada examining the health of immigrant and refugee children after their arrival in the country was published on the web in May 2018.

The study found a number of things. For starters, it emerges that research studies over the past 15 years have found that immigrants arrive in better health than Canadians — with a lower incidence of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes — but suffer a decline in their health as their time in Canada increases.

A  highly readable digest of this study was published recently (April 9, 2019) by Vatanparast and Lane under the title: Immigrant children’s health declines rapidly after arrival in Canada.
https://theconversation.com/immigrant-childrens-health-declines-rapidly-after-arrival-in-canada-114421

Study authors:
Hassan Vatanparast
Professor of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan

Ginny Lane
Postdoctoral Fellow in Public Health, University of Saskatchewan

April 8, 2019 - Encounter with the Suffering Christ

On Palm Sunday we will hear in the second reading from Philippians: "Though he was in the form of God, Christ did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8)

Blessed Frederick Ozanam found this humble and fragile Christ, stripped of honour and dignity, present in the poor and the outcasts, in those without a voice and in those exploited by society.

​Volunteers or Servants in Ministry?

​

by Timothy Schmaltz

A couple of weeks ago I attended an evening for those in liturgical ministry in St. Elizabeth Seton Parish. Fr. Roy gave a presentation where, among the many things he shared, he stressed that we need to see ourselves and each other as ministers serving the Body of Christ. We do this because we have been called by the Lord who has given us the necessary gifts and talents needed to perform this work of service. St. Paul has a lot to say about this in 1 Corinthians 12 and also in Romans 12. To us, our gifts and talents may not seem like much more than a few loaves and fishes, but the Lord can and will multiply them as needed.

A corollary to understanding ourselves as servants who have been called to ministry by God is that we need to cease considering ourselves as volunteers. This is true, regardless of the ministry, whether social, educational, liturgical or care and compassion.

Mar 11, 2019 - Spiritual Reading - Stones into bread

Yesterday, Sunday, I read a short reflection on the Sunday readings by a nun, Sr. Mary McGlone. A particular paragraph that she wrote rang my Vincentian doorbell.

With reference to the Sunday gospel where Jesus rejected Satan's temptation to turn stones into bread, Sr. McGlone writes, "The devil took normal human desires and blew them out of proportion in such a way that pursuing a natural good deteriorated into a perversion of the human vocation to love God and neighbor. When Jesus rejected the temptation to turn stones to bread, he rejected both the opportunity to devote his power to his own satisfaction and the impulse to feed the hungry without converting those who hoard the world's goods."

Feb 11, 2019 - Spiritual Reading - Frédéric Ozanam & Social Justice

Rule and Statutes

3.22 Working for Social Justice

The Society is concerned not only with alleviating need but also with identifying the injustices that cause it. Therefore, it is committed to identifying the root causes of poverty and contributing to their elimination. In all its charitable actions there should be a search for justice.

Affirming the dignity of each human being as created in God’s image, Vincentians envision a just society in which the rights, responsibilities and development of all people are promoted. The distinctive approach of Vincentians to issues of social justice is to see them from the perspective of those in need who are suffering from injustice. The Society helps those in need to speak for themselves. When they cannot, the Society must speak on their behalf so that they will not be ignored.

Jan 14, 2019 - Spiritual Reading - The Baptism of Jesus

Yesterday we had the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Here are some take-aways for us as Vincentians from a spiritual reflection by Sr. Mary M McGlone CSJ.


"What can we take away from today's celebration of the Baptism of the Lord? First, we can celebrate the reality that our baptism links us to Christ and to all who have gone before us in faith. At a time when legal papers have become so important for determining status, we can claim our baptismal certificate as our principal identity card. It tells us to whom we belong and to what we are called.

"Jesus' response to his baptism reminds us that the ceremony is but one tiny moment, the meaning of which is determined by how we live it out. Observing Jesus, we realize that baptism does not give us a status but a mission. To discern that mission, we too must pray and listen to the Scriptures.

"God will continue to send vibrant characters like John to remind us of the Spirit's fire. After those prophets wake us up, we will be called to prayer as was Jesus. Then, like Jesus, the first message we will hear is that we too are God's beloved. That love will then send us into the mission that only we can accomplish in our own day." (1)

The point is, for us as Vincentians, if we hope to be effective in bringing the love of Christ to the poor and others whom we serve, we need to have enduring confidence that God loves us. One essential way for nurturing that confidence is listening to God speak to us in daily prayer and reflecting on scripture.


(1)  The Baptism of the Lord: No script but Scriptures
Jan 12, 2019
by Mary M. McGlone
 From <https://www.ncronline.org/news/spirituality/scripture-life/baptism-lord-no-script-scriptures>