“Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” Lk 2,18

Dear parishioners, 

There is an awful lot to ponder as we transition from 2021 to 2022. 

We consider the roller-coaster ride of the year that has been. We heave a sigh of amazement, really, at what we have been through. Being shut down and re-opened, I’ve stopped counting how many times. Deciphering what the restrictions actually mean. Making snap decisions to comply as faithfully, but at the same time as painlessly as possible to those restrictions. We remember the people we have known and loved, and have lost to Covid, or to the heatwave, or to other causes of death, in the past year. We remember the terrible floods. We heave a sigh of immense relief when we consider that we have a public health system that is second to none, that we have a premier and a minister of health who had the wisdom and the humility to step back and just let our public health officer do her job. We marvel at the fact that our public health system has succeeded in vaccinating almost the entire population of BC twice in just one year. We look ahead with cautious optimism, but still, with some concern, as to what lies ahead, if not for ourselves and our loved ones, because we are mostly protected by the vaccines, but we worry about our health care system. We worry about the vast swaths of the world that are nowhere near our level of protection and public health expertise. We worry about new variants, perhaps as infectious as omicron, and as lethal as Delta… There is indeed much to ponder.

At the end of the day, the wisest and best way of confronting this third pandemic year with serenity is to lift it up to God, as a family, as a Church, as a world,  for his protection and blessing. Make our very own the ingenious prayer that we find in the psalm for New Year’s Day:  “Lord, be gracious to us and bless us, and let your face shine upon us” – not for our own benefit, but – “ that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.” Take heart in St. Paul’s wonderful reminder, also in the readings for New Year’s Mass,  that we have been made sons and daughters of God, and that he has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, and that cries out in us “Abba, Father”, such that even when we’re not aware that we are praying, we are praying. Remember God’s promise to Moses that he would bless those upon whom the beautiful words of Aaron’s blessing would be pronounced. “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” Let me point out in passing that there might be consolation for you in using these beautiful words to ask for God’s blessing upon your elderly parents, upon your children, your grand-children, and all your loved ones.

Finally,we need to  remember that Mary, the mother of God whom we celebrated on January 1 isn’t just the mother of Jesus, the mother of the Church, she is the patron of our parish. We have more reason than anyone today to lift up all our loved ones and all our parishioners, living and deceased, to the all-powerful intercession of our mother Mary. 

Whatsoever awaits us in the year that opens before us, may all our burdens be made light, and all our yokes easy. Most importantly perhaps, may God give wings to our faith, our hope, and all our loves.

On a lighter note, if you come to church this weekend, help yourself on your way out to one of our very beautiful St. Mary’s Christmas 2021 Souvenir cards! 

Also please note that till further notice, we will not have all-day adoration on First Fridays. We will have adoration only in the evening of First Fridays, from after the 7:00 p.m. mass until 9:00 p.m. Also, a word to all ministries: we are not allowed any in-person, indoor gatherings till further notice.

I pray for God’s blessing upon us all in the year that opens before us. 

Fr. Guy