Dear Parishioners,

Today, the Gospel invites us to meditate on the two greatest commandments: love of God and love of neighbor. This is why the tablets of the Ten Commandments are traditionally understood as two: the first three commandments are directed toward God, and the remaining seven toward our neighbor. In the Gospel today, Jesus quotes the Book of Deuteronomy (6:4–7): “Hear (Shema), O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, 1- with all your heart, 2- and with all your soul, 3- and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them: 1- at home 2- and abroad, whether you are 3- busy 4- or at rest. 5- Bind them on your arm as a sign 6- and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. 7- Write them on the  doorposts of your houses 8- and on your gates…” The TARGUM is an Aramaic translation of the biblical text that

    often includes interpretation and explanation. “Hear, O Israel!” Here Israel refers to Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel (Gen. 32:29). The Targumic interpretation of the Shema is closely connected with the account of Jacob’s death. In the Targum Neofiti, we read: ‘when the fixed time of our father Jacob’s death had come, he gathered the twelve tribes around his deathbed. And he said: From Abraham, my father’s father, was born Ishmael the impious. From Isaac, my father, was born Esau the impure. So can it happen that some of you will give worship to idols to which Abraham’s father gave? Can it happen that you will give worship to the idols as Laban, my mother’s brother did? And so, the twelve tribes answered him unanimously, with a perfect heart: “Shema Israel (Listen Oh Israel), our Father, Adonai, our God, is one” Abraham had lost half of his sons (Ishmael and Isaac), the same happened to Isaac (Esau and Jacob). So Jacob, fearing that it may happened the same to his sons said: “I have twelve sons, and I may lose half of them” But his sons reassured him by professing their faith together: “Shema Israel!” — “Hear,

    O Israel!” The Shema is brought to fulfillment with CHRIST. He said: “love one another, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU” In the Old Testament people loved God and Neighbor but with a NATURAL LOVE. But Christ elevated this love to SUPERNATURAL LOVE. Imagine you have a dog. You are a rational human being, but the dog is an irrational creature. You ask your dog to love you back in the same way that you love him. He cannot, because he is irrational. Well, God wanted us to love Him back with His own love. But we are human beings, and we cannot love Him with divine love on our own. So, Jesus elevated our human nature by infusing in us sanctifying grace (a participation in the divine nature), enabling us to love Him with His own love, which is divine.We do not love because we feel affection. As Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?” We love for the sake of God, even when we do not feel affection or when we experience rejection. As Jesus commanded us, “Love your enemies.” Jesus, on the Cross, did not feel affection toward us who crucified Him with our sins. Nevertheless, the Cross is the greatest manifestation of His love for us.

     “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”

Let us ask our Blessed Mother to help us love God and Neighbor with God’s love.

Fr. Gaston Giacinti, IVE

WEEKLY NEWS

Friday Adoration at Sacred Heart

Every Friday there is adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at Sacred Heart in reparation for the offences made to the Sacred Heart of Jesus from 1:00 to 6:00PM and confessions from 4:30 to 6:00PM.

“Voces Verbi” Youth Group

1^st Fridays of the month from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

Altar Boy Group at Sacred Heart

 3rd Fridays of the month from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

Clergy Study days

Fr Gaston along with many other priests in the diocese of Peterborough will be away for Clergy study days from November 3rd to November 5th. There will be no mass on November 4th and November 5^th. Daily Mass during the study days in Peterborough will be at Immaculate Conception, 386 Rogers Street, Peterborough, at 8:30 am. Father Luis Lapinid will be the celebrant.

Sacramental Preparation 2026–2027

Classes for First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation have started at St. John parish

• First Reconciliation & First Communion: Saturdays
• Confirmation: Thursdays

Please see website for more information

 Visit www.stjohnpeterborough.ca

RCIA – Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

RCIA classes will be held every Saturday between 2:30- 3:45pm at St John’s. The topics discussed for the month of October are 1. Participation in Mass 2. Journey of Faith 3. About Christian Prayer 4. Divine Revelation. For more information contact Mother Asterone 249-688-0930.

St John the Baptist Bible Study Group- In-depth Study on the Most Holy Eucharist ‘The Source & Summit of the Christian life’. Next class will be Thursday Oct 29th from 7 pm – 8 pm at St John the Baptist Basement. For more details contact Daniel Rozario at 647- 928- 6414 / DanielRozario@live.com

DIOCESAN &O THER NEWS

Bible course on the book of Psalms – “Discover the heart of God” – From October 19- Dec15 classes will be on Mondays 6:30-8:00pm at Sacred Heart Parish Hall facilitated by Sr Dorothy Nzekwe, SOLI to register contact srdorothy@solisisters.ca/ 705-313-6905 Cost $ 75.00

All Saints Day Party—Lakefield- We are pleased to announce that our annual All Saints Day Party will be held at St. Paul’s Parish Hall in Lakefield on Sunday November 1st from 2pm-6pm. All are welcome to attend. Dress as your favourite Saint! We have a costume contest, Saint-themed games, prizes and light refreshments/treats. Please note, a free pizza dinner will be served at 5pm. This is a free event – donations to the Parish Vocations Team are encouraged but optional.

The Hallowtide Triduum – All Hallows’ Eve is the first day of a three-day seasonal observance called All Hallowtide (also known as Hallowtide or Hallowmas):

• October 31 – All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween): The vigil marking the evening before All Saints’ Day, traditionally a time of prayer, reflection on mortality, and preparation.
• November 1 – All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’ Day / Hallowmas): A celebrating all the saints and martyrs in heaven, both known and unknown
• November 2 – All Souls’ Day: A day dedicated to prayer and suffrage for the faithful departed who are still in Purgatory.

• Meaning of “Hallow”: In Old English, a hallow is a holy person or saint.
• Church Guidance: Church leaders encourage the faithful to keep the focus of the holiday centered on the Communion of Saints, Christian memory of the dead, and the reality of the “last things” (death, judgment, heaven, and hell), rather than secular or dark adaptations. Many Catholic families choose to focus on wholesome or faith-inspired traditions, such as dressing up as saints, biblical figures, or favorite superheroes, and attending Mass for All Saints’ Day.

Bicentennial Mission: Cathedral of St Peter-In-Chains- The Cathedral of St. Peter-In-Chains will be hosting a Bicentennial Mission entitled “Into the Heart of the Canadian Martyrs” presented by Fr. John O’Brien, S.J., Director of Canadian Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland.  Join us for weekend Mass on Saturday, November 7th at 5:00pm, OR Sunday, November 8th at 7:30am, 9:00am or 10:30am.  On Monday November 9th & Tuesday, November 10th, join us at either 11:00am OR 7:00pm for Mass and Talk. Everyones welcome!

Fr. John O’Brien will also be bringing relics of the Canadian Martyrs for veneration.