St. Paschal Baylon Church
92 Steeles Ave W L4J 1A1 Thornhill, ON, Canada

26th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME When as infants we were brought to Church to be baptized and fully incorporated into the Catholic Church, the priest twice anointed us with oil. The first one is the oil of catechumens, that removed from us the original sin and consecrated us as temples of the Holy Spirit, by receiving the call to holiness and ultimately salvation of our souls. We achieve then Christian perfection when every day we repent and change ourselves, by making CONVERSION... our way of life. This requires commitment to our faith, by practicing God's commandments, and a renewal of our spirit by rejecting sin and making always Christian choices. God will give us grace and provide opportunities for our spiritual growth, as long as we are open to Him and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Today the Church celebrates the 106th Sunday for Migrants and Refugees, and the Pope's message for the day focuses on Jesus' refugee experience in Egypt, in order to move people to welcome and care especially for internally displaced people, who move about and struggle every day for their survival and improvement of their dramatic condition. Let us pray today for our personal conversion and for more compassion and generosity towards new-comers who come into our life for a reason. As a matter of fact they become for us the reason to live in charity and holiness.

25th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Isaiah invites us to seek the Lord, so that we find Him and receive his blessing, in addition to experiencing his mercy and forgiveness. Looking for God in our daily lives means finding out his will and mission for us, and be ready when He calls us to respond and offer our time and talents to serve Him. However, living a life for Christ requires a change of mentality, so that more and more the Spirit of God will guide us and show us the way. That ...is when we learn to live our life to the fullest, not counting personal gains or sacrifices, but trusting the Lord and his ways. Today, let us pray to God to give us a generous heart, so that our life will become a precious and yet necessary gift to humanity, just like Jesus Christ taught us! See more

24th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME How many times do we need to repeat things? How many times do we need to be patient with other people? How many times do we need to forgive? Time is given to us to do good deeds, to try to rectify situations and overcome those obstacles that often distance us from God and from one another.... The first reading is strongly suggesting to think about the end of time and to remember the end of our life, when God will judge us according to our acts, if we have used compassion and care to people, if we have forgiven our brothers and sisters wholeheartedly, if we have made love the reason of our life. Today, let us pray to the Lord to inspire us with his example and fill us with his grace, so that every thought, word and deed will reflect our faith and Christian values.

23rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME As God's children, we must imitate the good example of the Father, who is merciful and tender-hearted towards his creatures. In today's readings we are invited to turn to our brothers and sisters to be more responsible and actively involved in their lives, especially to correct their wrongdoings. And we do that not by scolding or putting people down, but showing to them compassion and using prudence. Actually, in the Gospel we find a clear outline... on how to proceed, by approaching the person, first individually,then by seeking support and help by other people, and finally by sharing your concern with the whole Christian community. The invitation is to really pray for that person and gain him/her back to appreciate Jesus' teachings, become aware of faults and wrong-doings, and finally practice faith to be rewarded with eternal life. The Gospel does make another suggestion, inviting Christians to simply share their concerns and intentions with the community, so that everyone lifts to God a prayer for the needs of others. We are not alone, and the whole community is there to support every member morally and spiritually, with prayers and supplications to the Father. May the good Lord inspire us with his example and show us what we need to do to help people in their conversion of hearts and achieve new heights of spiritual growth.

22nd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Today's readings describe how deep faith can become if we let God come into hearts and let Him take over our life. In many ways God makes us realize how special He is and so important to make our existence a meaningful one. As He best puts it, "without me, you can do nothing!" Loving our Lord is the ultimate goal of our life, and it takes time to learn to do that, by purifying our hearts and minds and making room for Him to dwell within us. This i...s the beginning of our love story with God, the One who is truly irresistible and hard to turn down! Our commitment to God becomes then a life's turning point, because choosing Him means giving up our personal plans and do His will, whatever is good and acceptable and perfect. It means taking up our cross and follow Jesus, by offering our life (God's precious gift to us) as a spiritual sacrifice. In choosing God and following Jesus, we will then be rewarded with eternal life, by fulfilling our calling and earthly mission. Today, we are all invited to proclaim our deep love for God, who is the beginning, the companion and the hope of life eternal. See more

For the month of September we added 2 more Masses to accommodate the increasing number of parishioners coming back to Church and also to maintain safety and physical distancing. The new Sunday Mass schedule is as follows: 8:00am English Mass... 9:00am English Mass 10:00am Italian Mass 11:00am English Mass 12:00pm English Mass 1:00pm English Mass 4:00pm Filipino Mass 6:00pm Korean Mass 1st and 3rd Sunday See more

21th Sunday in Ordinary Time How special it is to get to know a person, and becoming a friend boosts trust and inter-dependence. When Jesus Christ challenged the apostles regarding his identity, for him it was just a way to find out how strong was the commitment made by people and his own disciples. If we went around today, asking that very question to people we meet on the street, I am sure we would get some answers, but most of them are not the result of experiencing a conn...ection with Christ but often a product of hearsay reflections, a vague remembrance of catechism classes. And this is because we have lost along the way a peculiar feature of the early Church, the proclamation of the Gospel, the personal witness to Jesus. Only those who try to consolidate their relationship with the Lord and follow him in their daily lives, will be invested with a special task, by continuing Jesus' mission of love and compassion. You are Peter, you are John, you are Mary... all of us have been chosen and called by Christ to follow in his footsteps; and it is up to us to respond to his calling, by loving him in return and embracing with joy his mission of care and forgiveness of others. May God inspire us and help us to establish a deeper relationship with his Son, so that by loving him unconditionally we will also learn to serve God as he himself taught us by reaching out and support our brothers and sisters.

20th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME PRAYER is so important in our daily life, and we must make efforts to keep it alive and active. In addition to finding a suitable place and the right moment, prayer entails also the precious gift of faith, so that our hope never dies and our trust in the Lord continues strengthening our troubled and messy lives. It is not enough to be persistent... we must show Jesus that we are totally dependent on Him and are nurtured by His word. SERVICE is als...o very crucial in our Christian lives, for every day Jesus calls us to share and practice our faith, so that everyone will get to know God and worship Him. And people will experience by our words and actions how special, how powerful and compassionate is our God, who reveals Himself in our acts of mercy and care for those who are in need. May the Lord increase our faith and make of us powerful witnesses to bring living hope where despair and disillusion rest in people's minds and hearts!

Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, give us courage and walk with us!

19th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME The main thrust of today's readings is PRAYER, acknowledging its importance and need in our daily lives. Just like the prophet in the first reading and Jesus in the gospel, prayer is that powerful and spiritual means to be in touch with God and experience his presence and blessing.... Prayer requires a special and specific TIME, a sacred moment in our daily life marking our communication and communion with God. During this time we have a chance to speak to God and also listen to him. Prayer needs a proper PLACE, where in silence and contemplation we are able to feel God's refreshing touch in our lives. This place could be easily our home, the Church, or even out in the open like a mountain or a garden. The effect of our prayer is PEACE, when we entrust all of our worries, doubts and fears into God's hands. He has the power to purify our hearts and free our minds, and just like Jesus we are strengthened in our faith so as to walk on waters and be able to do things unfathomable to us. Open up to God, and He will restore you. Pray to God and He will lead you to salvation and eternal life.

Come, let us adore Him!

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