Names are important. They often have special meaning, and form part of our identity.
Without using proper names, there is a vagueness. Names make all the difference. Imagine reading the Gospels without knowing the names of the Apostles. Loving our neighbour begins with knowing someone's name. Everyone's deepest desire is to be known and to be loved by others. At church, if we don't know someone's name, we will have something called anonymous Christianity, and we will remain strangers to each other. Father Matthew takes the time to encourage the parishoners to walk at least steps to mingle a little bit, and to meet at least one new person.
Father Matthew discusses how ordinary time in the Church calendar is dedicated to the Christian life of being a disciple. During the weeks of ordinary time, we learn how the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus calls us to conversion. We then discover the meaning of today's psalm.
Ottawa's new Auxiliary Bishop Guy Desrochers, shares his touching vocation story, beginning with a brief understanding of baptism and the "gift box", which we are given, and which we must open to reveal the gifts inside. One of these gifts is the gift of piety, in which we learn how to pray, and which enables us to have a personal relationship with God. The Auxiliary Bishop's vocation story begins when he was a rebellious fourteen year old with long hair in the 1970s, and how he had his first encounter with drugs. He left the Church, and stopped praying until his miraculous conversion.
