~~~SisterSea~~~

Blessing of the Animals – Thurs., Oct. 4 th , 2012 6:00 pm Vancouver Catholic Worker’s Samaritan House 1143 E. Pender St. , Vancouver The blessing of each animal, by name, means that health, healing and life are being mediated from God for the benefit of the animal in its relationship with its human partners.   The blessing is not to reinforce the separation of human animals and other animals. Instead, we are reinforcing our common kinship by blessing ALL animals--human and otherwise. All are welcome whether they have no legs or many . Your Hostess:  Roni Marie Your Host:  Derv Marie

First Reading: Isaiah 50:5-9 Responsorial Psalm: P salm 116 Second Reading: James 2:14-18 Gospel: Mark 8:27-35   “You are judging by human standards rather than by God’s.”    “You are judging by human standards rather than by God’s.”   This is the phrase that kept drumming within me as I was thinking about today’s homily. We can’t possibly know the mind of God.   But we do have some clues.   The Psalm tells us that God listens, saves lives, and protects.   We hear in this reading that our God is a God of justice and mercy.   The Psalmist tells us God is gracious.   Just looking at a sampling of the synonyms for gracious informs us that God is approachable, beneficent, compassionate, kind, loving, merciful and tender.   But we like the Psalmist must walk before our God in the land of the living. “You are judging by human standards rather t...

First Reading: Jeremiah 22:13-19 Responsorial Psalm: 72:1-4, 11-14, 18 Second Reading: I Corinthians 12:12-26 Gospel: Matthew 25:31-4 0 For days, I was puzzling over how to weave these three readings together.   I had no one to blame but myself because I chose them from a list of suggested Labour Day readings.   Trusting in the Spirit, once I made the choices, I thought it best not to change them.   Still, I struggled with how to weave them together.   Finally, I gave up and began to look at each one separately and see what the Spirit would knit together for me. What came to me was that each of the readings looked at labour differently.   In the first reading, Jeremiah lets us know that God holds a dim view of those who reap benefits from injustice and inequity.   The injustice that Jeremiah describes is strikingly similar to what is going on today, in our world and in this very neighbourhood.   In our neighbourhood, developers are bui...