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As we move from Palm Sunday into the most holy week of the Christian Calendar, Bobby urges us to ask ourselves: Is Christ the king of my heart? 

In ancient times, palm branches were a symbol of strength and celebration. For the Feast of Booths in the seventh month, God’s people used palms and other luxuriant branches to celebrate (see Leviticus 23:40 and Nehemiah 8:15). Victors in athletic games and battles were often given palm branches to symbolize their strength. King Solomon engraved images of palms into the pillars of the Temple. 

When Jesus is welcomed into Jerusalem with palms, they serve as a symbol of his kingship. But do we treat Christ with the kingship he deserves? 

We all play a part in the Passion story. Some of us are Peter when he denies Christ. Some of us are the Jews who are not willing to give up everything to follow Christ. Or sometimes we play a different part depending on the day. Too few are the times when we stay at the foot of the Cross with him. 

Where are you in the story? Ask God, “Where have I let you down?” or, “How have I been faithful to you?” Let this Holy Week be different from years past.

Ask any religious sister, and she will share a litany of lessons and blessings from her time serving the Church. As they celebrate their 60th anniversaries as sisters, the lists Sister Nancy Brown and Sister Margaret Sadler offer are almost too long to record.

Both sisters spoke with The B.C. Catholic during the bi-annual Catholic Women’s League Sisters Appreciation Dinner, held March 3 at the Italian Cultural Centre. This year’s event was one of the largest, with 400 people packing into the large conference hall.

“Nuns don’t retire, they get retreaded,” Sister Sadler joked.

The Saskatchewan-born, B.C.-raised Sadler is a Sister of the Child Jesus. Social justice has always been a significant concern for her and was a focus during her time as a teacher. She has worked with Development and Peace throughout her time as a religious sister.

One of her highlights is the decades she spent working with Indigenous peoples in Northern Manitoba. The First Nations people she worked with challenged her, giving her a deeper appreciation for nature and respect for God’s creation.

After “being retreaded,” Sister Sadler became director of formation for Sisters of the Child Jesus associates, providing spiritual direction to the lay arm of the congregation. order.

During the Jubilee of Hope, the diamond jubilarian said the Holy Spirit gives her hope. “I couldn’t live if I didn’t believe in the Holy Spirit,” she said.

Another of the diamond jubilarians, Sister Nancy Brown, needs no introduction—the occasional B.C. Catholic contributor and founding member of Covenant House Vancouver has a long record of social justice work within the Archdiocese.

With a wry smile, she describes the last 60 years as “interesting.”

Looking at her history, she seems to have done it all: educator, university chaplain, novice director for the Sisters of Charity in Halifax—there aren’t many areas of religious life she hasn’t dedicated at least a small part of her life to.

The most recent chapter of her life as a sister has been the longest and is the one she speaks most about. Her time with Covenant House has been multifaceted: pastoral counsellor, senior manager, ombudsperson—she has done it all.

Her work at Covenant House has fostered her love for social justice, service for the marginalized, and advocacy for those without a voice.

Sister Brown is heartened by the recent trend of lay people taking responsibility for their parishes and for the Church more broadly. Their sincerity gives her hope for the future, she says.

By Father Larry Lynn

A crack in the culture of death?

I’ve been involved in the pro-life movement for about 14 years. For many others, it has been twice or even three times that long. Upon awakening to the horror inflicted on individual pre-born humans and the exponential societal damage it causes, we “come to ourselves,” like the Prodigal Son in the parable. We begin to grasp the enormity of the problem we are facing. The abortion mindset has grown exponentially since the 1960s. What was once a strong taboo seems to have been embraced by the whole world in a remarkably short time. It boggles the mind.

How can we possibly fight such a juggernaut as the culture of death? It is pervasive, and if you speak against it, you are labeled as fringe. Your point of view is not welcome in the public square.

But once the mind’s eye is opened to the truth that no one has the right to take an innocent human life, the size of the giant no longer matters. We must not be afraid; we must confront the giant. Because the giant is a big lie, and truth is eternal.

So many people have been standing against abortion, witnessing publicly and praying steadfastly for years, reaching out one soul at a time. Years and years of prayer often pass with little visible change, and it can become daunting. Yet we continue to pray, persevere, and find ways to support women who might be considering abortion. It’s a process that works person to person, soul to soul. Sometimes a life is saved—just one soul. But one soul is more valuable than the whole universe.

The potential closing of the Bagshaw abortion mill is undoubtedly good news. Any time an abortion mill closes, it’s a victory. I believe that our prayers, public witness, diligence, and faithfulness are making an impact on that massive abortion juggernaut. I think I see a crack in their seemingly impenetrable armour. It’s a sign that it is possible to change hearts and minds throughout the country, one soul at a time. We’ve seen it happen in the United States. The tide is turning there. Planned Parenthood is in disarray, largely due to the prayer and witnessing of 40 Days for Life, the March for Life, and many other initiatives.

It only makes sense because truth always wins in the end.

Father Lynn is the pro-life chaplain for the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

One clinic closes, but the fight continues

By John Hof

Thirty-five years ago, pro-lifers gathered outside this abortion facility at 1177 West Broadway. We prayed it would not open. We prayed that those responsible for this travesty against the unborn would come to their senses.

Passion Sunday, Year C
First Reading: Is 50:4-7
Second Reading: Phil 2:6-11
 Gospel Reading: Lk 22:14-23:56 

The Church’s Holy Week liturgy is (in Hebrew) a zikaron of the first Holy Week, re-presenting, re-actualizing, and re-newing it so that we truly re-live it and participate in it, not just remember or commemorate it. The more we know about it, therefore, the better.

About 600 BC, Daniel had foretold that Judea would be conquered by Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, and then “the God of heaven.” Under Rome, therefore, Jesus’ contemporaries expected the Messiah, their hereditary King, to come soon to save them from Rome.

Jesus had avoided earlier attempts to crown him, but on Palm Sunday – knowing that “the hour” had come – he asked for an ass and her colt, mounted, and so entered Jerusalem, fulfilling the prophecies of a King who would come “riding on an ass.” Accordingly, the people greeted him as Saviour and King.

(They rejected him on Friday because, seeing him in Roman custody, they thought he had deceived them.)

During the next three days, Jesus prepared for the Passover, the Jews’ annual zikaron of the Pasch, which included sacrificing and eating the Paschal lambs. “I have greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,” he told his apostles on Thursday evening. However, this Passover was different.

First: the lambs were slaughtered in the temple at twilight on Friday and eaten in the people’s homes on Saturday, but Jesus started his Passover after twilight on Thursday.

Second: there was no ordinary sacrificed lamb. Instead, Jesus took bread and said, “This is my body.” Then he took a cup and said, “This is my Blood, the blood of the covenant, to be poured out on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Third: the final cup of wine was omitted; Jesus declared that he would not drink wine again “until the day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s reign.” Accordingly, he refused wine on his way to crucifixion. Only on the cross did he take it and say, “It is finished.”

Jesus died at 3 p.m. on Friday – before sunset, and therefore, by Jewish reckoning, on the same day as he had begun his Last Supper. Together, the Last Supper and the Crucifixion comprised what Christians soon came to regard as Christ’s Passover.

Jesus began it sacramentally at his Last Supper on Thursday evening, under the appearances of bread and wine, but he could not finish it until his bloody death on the cross, for in the new Passover, he himself was the sacrificed Lamb.

The new Passover – Christ’s Last Supper/Crucifixion – like the old, comprised a sacrifice and a meal.

Father Dave recounts how all three readings today feature people who made radical changes in their lives after hearing God’s call. He challenges us to boldly and loudly say yes to how God may be calling us today.

Listen Now

Lent is almost over…. 40 days of fasting, prayer, and sacrifice have passed in the blink of an eye. How do you feel? Are you puffed up with pride or weighed down by discouragement?

Today Fr. Mark-Mary offers a final word of encouragement to lean into the mercy of Jesus however you feel as we enter into Holy Week.

Canada’s Finance Department has avoided providing a clear answer to a written appeal from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) urging the federal government not to adopt budget recommendations that would strip charitable status from “anti-abortion” and “advancement of religion” nonprofit organizations.

A statement provided to The Catholic Register in Canada on March 13 by the department’s media relations officer, Marie-France Faucher, did not reference the CCCB or its specific concerns surrounding recommendations 429 and 430 of the pre-budget consultations in advance of the 2025 budget.

In her email response, Faucher said “the government of Canada recognizes the vital role charities play in delivering essential services to those in need” and provided general information about how an organization may apply for charitable registration under the Income Tax Act.

Her only comment about the next budget was that the Finance Department “continues to explore ways to ensure the tax system remains fair and effective in supporting Canadians and the organizations that serve them.”

The CCCB’s permanent council sent its March 10 letter to then-Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and a follow-up letter on March 18 to François-Philippe Champagne, who was appointed finance minister on March 14 by newly minted Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The CCCB said a clearer stance on the concerns is required soon, highlighting in its letters that “40% of all charitable organizations in Canada are faith-based.”

The bishops said depriving these organizations of charitable status “would decrease donations, causing their revenue to dwindle, thus crippling their ability to inspire, operate, and maintain essential social services that benefit the wider community.”

Among the 14 signatories are conference president Bishop William McGrattan of Calgary, vice president Bishop Pierre Goudreault of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Cardinals Francis Leo of Toronto and Gerald Lacroix of Quebec, and Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine.

Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) applauded the permanent council’s letter.

“Thank God the Canadian bishops have joined in this fight to save Christian Canada,” said CLC national president Jeff Gunnarson. “Canada, as our charter states, is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God. The government is attacking the very foundation of our country with these proposals. United together we will stave off this governmental assault on our nation and our treasured faith.”

Chalice, a Canadian Catholic international child sponsorship charity headquartered in Bedford, Nova Scotia, is one of the nonprofits registered with the Canada Revenue Agency that would be targeted by recommendation 430.

Chalice founder and president Father Patrick Cosgrove said in an email the recommendation “reveals a negative bias against religion that is not supported by the evidence that active faith and the practice of religion have a measurably positive impact on society and the individual.”

Umbrellas were raised and prayers sent heavenward as a small band of Catholics gathered in a relentless downpour to celebrate the midway point of the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s 40 Days for Life campaign.

The annual Lenten pro-life campaign has yet to bear legislative fruit in Canada, as the country’s politicians continue to refuse to pass laws to place any restrictions on abortion.

But the two dozen men and women at the March 23 rally showed no signs of discouragement as they joined with Father Larry Lynn, the Archdiocese’s pro-life chaplain, in saying a heartfelt Rosary.

“I’ve never heard the Hail Mary prayed with so much reverence and, well, ardour,” said participant Alex Fantillo. “It was truly inspiring.”

The rally’s guest speaker, Father Mark McGuckin, boosted spirits with a speech that celebrated pro-life activists’ courage and faithfulness.

Father McGuckin, the pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Burnaby, said the commitment shown by campaign participants evoked the spirit of Our Lady of Sorrows.

“Matching Our Blessed Mother’s wounded heart as she knelt before the cross on Mount Calvary, our collective hearts are heavy with the manifold tragedies that lie before us,” Father McGuckin said later. “The steamroller of the culture of death in our society continues to crush our most vulnerable brothers and sisters.”

Father McGuckin said the pro-life faithful are responding by matching “the fearless, forward motion” of the Blessed Mother who drew close to Our Lord at the foot of the cross when most devotees and loyalists abandoned him.

“Our call is just to remain faithful, in the lighter times and in the heavier times,” he said. “We are kneeling in sorrow with Our Blessed Mother, and we also stand, resolute, next to her.”

As he stood under an umbrella held by Father Lynn, Father McGuckin encouraged Catholics to remain faithful to their convictions and to continue to put that faith into action.

“This is the age now of victory,” he said. “This is the age of the Church, and no amount of darkness will be able to eclipse that truth about the sacredness of life that we have been entrusted with to share.”

Fantillo, a parishioner at St. Joseph’s in Mission, said he was motivated to drive 75 kilometres through stormy weather to gather with his fellow pro-life faithful and hear Father McGuckin, who “never fails to inspire.”

“Father Mark needs thanks as he took us to the next level, promoting the most holy missionary call that will, sooner or later, stir in us all,” he said.

During the season of Lent a few years ago, I decided that I would commit to a morning habit of not turning my phone on until after I have had my personal prayer time with Jesus. Part of my rule of life is to find a practical way to connect with Jesus first in the beginning of my day. I found this to be more challenging than I anticipated! Bombarded with constant texts, emails, messages, Instagram, and Facebook notifications, my phone controlled me more than I liked to admit. Plagued with a compulsion to scroll, I had become a slave to technology. Choosing not to reach for my phone to check messages first thing in the morning for forty days turned out to be an interior battle. I knew I couldn’t do this on my own, so I needed to ask for God’s grace everyday and I had to come up with a practical game plan. Each night, I put my phone on “airplane mode” and set my alarm for the time I would get up to pray in the morning. When I would wake up, I would deny myself the urge to turn airplane mode off to see who had messaged me. In order to stay focused, I had a routine: I would set a timer for how long I was going to pray, read the gospel readings of the day, read my devotional book (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young), and pull out my journal. I would reflect on what spoke to me from the readings, and re-read any parts that would resonate with me (Lectio Divina). Through my imagination, I would place myself in the gospel scene with Jesus (Ignatian Spirituality). I would then listen to hear what He had to say, and journal any insights down. After my timer had gone off, I would end with an Our Father. 

For me, I have come to understand a rule of life as a set of practices that I intentionally create or implement in order to preserve something precious. For example, I make it a practice to go to confession at least once a month, in order to cleanse my soul from my sins and failings. During this particular season of Lent in my life, I needed to take action against the vices of being distracted by my phone and neglecting my personal prayer time. I knew that if I made time for Jesus first, the fruits of the spirit – peace, love, hope, and joy – would be a natural result of this commitment.The blessings that came from consistently living out denying myself my phone first thing in the morning during Lent were absolutely astounding.