St. Norbert’s Faithletter St. Norbert’s Church, North York, Ontario, Canada Easter Sunday , April 24, 201 1 He is Risen TThhee aannggeelll ssaaiiidd ttoo tthhee wwoommeenn,,, ""DDoo not be afraiid,, for II know that you not be afraid, for I know that you aarree lllooookkiiinngg ffoorr JJeessuuss,,, wwhhoo wwaass cruciifiied.. He iis not here; he has crucified. He is not here; he has rriiisseenn,,, jjjuusstt aass hhee ssaaiiidd... CCoommee aanndd see the place where he lay. Then go see the pllace where he llay.. Then go qquuiiicckklllyy aanndd tteellllll hhiiiss ddiiisscciiippllleess:: '''HHee has risen from the dead and is has riisen from the dead and iis ggooiiinngg aahheeaadd ooff yyoouu iiinnttoo GGaallliiillleeee... There you wiillll see hiim..'' There you will see him.' Happy and Blessed Easter!!!! Dear Parishioners , Virtue of this Issue: Forgiveness ... ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise that we need to repent and ask for forgiveness. No matter from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and what the sin, we are completely forgiven! Jesus takes away our forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all sins. Jesus is able to wipe the slate clean. All Jesus asks from nations...Luke 24:46-47 us is that we forgive others as He forgives us. This Easter faithletter embraces the virtue of forgiveness. At "Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that Easter, we rejoice in knowing that Jesus takes away the sins of has crushed it." --Mark Twain the world. Jesus sacrificed His life in order for us to be free from sin. He suffered, died and rose again. Yet His message Forgiving others is not easy when we have been hurt. At the on the cross is “Father, forgive them.” With forgiveness, Jesus time of His death, Jesus endured betrayal, humiliation and frees us from our sins. God has conquered sin, not with more suffering so he understands our pain when we have been sin, but with goodness. Jesus did not judge others or want mistreated by others. The way He forgave is also the way we revenge. He only wants people to be reconciled with God. can forgive. It is out of simple obedience to God and our desire to please Him. ...if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the atoning sacrifice for A relationship with Jesus gives us the power to forgive and to our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole be forgiven. Forgiveness frees us from the sins that cause us world. 1 John 2:1-2 pain and separate us from God. Forgiveness is a gift that can bring peace, love and harmony to the world. We are all guilty of sin and failure. It can make us feel shame, We wish everyone a blessed, joyous Easter! regret and guilt. The good news is that when we confess our sins with a humble heart, God will forgive us. When we Rina Kieda humble ourselves, we can be honest about our sins and accept Page 1 St. Norbert’s Faithletter Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 Let’s Know Each Other Interview with Cynthia Livera You were a teacher and your family’s position was not bad. Cynthia Livera. The administrative assistant of our parish. However, you decided to leave Sri Lanka. Most of us have met her, as her services are many and varied.. Cynthia is in the parish office at designated hours, It was a very, very, difficult decision. But we did it for the sake of and also present in the church at the 12 noon Sunday mass a core family value. We did it for the children's future. We sent and at the Thursday evening Mass and devotions. Her two of our children for studies to Canada. They were here as husband is Keith. He leads the Rosary on Thursday foreign students in university. It was far too painful to stay apart evenings. Cynthia and Keith have three so we decided to immigrate so that we could children, Lisa, Daniel and Lara. live together as family. So you arrived to Canada in 2008. How did You arrived to Canada in 2008. Tell us a bit you get to St. Norbert’s? about your “pre-Canadian” life. Our first priority was church when we landed. I worked in a bank as an administrative We couldn't wait to get to a church and were assistant. After my first child was born, I was deciding on which church we would register a full time mother for 16 years. This was as parishioners. We had to decide between quality time I spent with my children and was St. Philip Neris and St. Norbert. With God's able to attend to their extracurricular activities guidance we were drawn towards St. Norbert. and studies. It gave me great satisfaction to The first Sunday Mass and Fr. Xavier's spell- watch them grow up as healthy, happy bound preaching and friendly welcome was children. Thereafter I started work again, the icing on the cake. I feel blessed to be a after retraining, as an elementary teacher. parishioner of St. Norbert. This job was convenient as I left for work with my children and came back home with them. How did you start your involvement with I worked as a Teacher until we immigrated to Canada. the church? Catholics are a small minority in Sri Lanka. Was that difficult My mind was already made up before immigrating. I said to my for you? husband, I am so thankful that God has brought the family together again and before I earn I will volunteer in a church first. No, not at all, we all live in spiritual harmony and mutual respect. When I met with Fr. Xavier I told him I would like to volunteer in Of course, there are catholic schools, Buddhist schools and the church. I started helping Marilyn with her confirmation Hindu Schools and even Muslim Schools. In each of these classes and in the Office on Fridays. Shortly after I started separate schools, the predominant religion/faith is not only volunteering in the Office, the permanent secretary left and I was passionately taught, it is implicitly practiced as well. Most selected for the job when the position was advertised. catholic schools have either a church or a chapel in the centre of their premises and the day is started with either a morning mass You are always present at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help or at least a prayer in full assembly. Apart from that, one devotion. common educational curriculum is taught in all of them, so that all follow one system with the exception of their own This is a devotion my husband and I have had since we were faith/religious education. teenagers. We never missed a novena and that was also a priority to find out the nearest church that had this devotion. It About 7% of the population are Roman Catholic. Catholicism was St. Patrick's downtown and we continued this devotion at St. was first introduced by the Portuguese, who left a notable mark Patrick's until St. Norbert's commenced it 2 years ago. in the continued use of Portuguese surnames even today by many Catholics. Dutch missionaries continued to maintain the Would you like to talk about Keith and you children, Lisa, religion after the Portuguese were expelled, and today most Sri Daniel and Lara? Lankan Christians are Catholic. There is a Roman Catholic archbishop and 10 other Roman Catholic bishops. Keith and I have been married for 25 years, and we are so very happy to be together with our children in this beautiful country. In 1995, at a ceremony in Colombo, Pope John Paul II beatified They are growing to be individuals of the world, and we are Father Joseph Vaz, an early missionary to the country, who was thankful to God for the opportunities that they have been given to known as the Apostle of Ceylon. keep their own footprint. Were you, or your family involved in activities supporting Is there anything else you would like to say? the church? I would like to thank Rev.Fr. Xavier and the wonderful staff and My father in law worked at the Catholic Bishops Conference in parishioners for the warm welcome as the Administrative Sri Lanka for a very long time – in fact until a couple of years Assistant of this Parish. You have all been so accommodating before he died at the age of 83 and my husband, Keith taught at and supportive. I would not be able to discharge my duties Sunday School at our parish church. So yes, we have been satisfactorily without this strong support. I enjoy the work and I privileged to have been surrounded by the clergy most of the promise one day I will be fluent in Italian !!! time. Page 2 St. Norbert’s Faithletter Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 Sharing the Faith How to forgive? How can I forgive? Lord I was treated so badly that I will never our own. We can pray for a forgiving heart and a new mind to let be able to forgive. When I think of the harm that is done to go of the painful experiences. Forgiveness doesn’t mean we me...my ruined reputation, my compromised health, my brutally deny the fact that what happened to us was wrong. Instead, we parted friendships....I am enraged and I cry.