“For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you, Cyrus, by your name. I arm you, though you do not know me, so that all may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord.” Is 45,4-6

Dear parishioners,

After the unhoped-for victory of Cyrus, Persian emperor, over Babylon, and the liberation of the Jews that followed, and that put an end to their forced exile in Babylon, a prophet, we call him the “Second Isaiah”, affirmed, in the terms we see above, taken from this Sunday’s first reading, that it was all God’s doing. God, in his providence, engineered the rise of Cyrus, his victory over Babylon, and his incredible attitude of tolerance, even active support, toward the Jews exiled in Babylon.

This reminds us of a beautiful verse in the psalms: “Be still and know that I am God, supreme in the heavens, supreme on the earth”. This beautiful psalm goes on to say: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” Ps 46,11.12 I refer you to the entire psalm, which is a thoroughly heartening affirmation of God’s sovereignty, and that his sovereignty over all things is entirely in the service of his people.

There’s no time like now to be reminded of the fact that God reigns over all things, including this pandemic, that he is love of us, and therefore, that whatsoever may come to pass, everything either is, or is going to be okay.

We really need this conviction right now. The second wave of the pandemic is upon us. Granted, in a far less aggressive way here in B.C. than in the rest of the world. But it is nonetheless with us. We don’t know how bad it will get, and how long it will last. We just don’t know what awaits us, but this much we know: things will almost certainly get worse before they get better. Thanks be to God, we’re made stronger by our collective experience of the first wave. Our health care system is incomparably better prepared for the second wave than it was, of course, for the first. And our Public Health Agency is second to none.

This being said, we can’t just shake off our sense of vulnerability, of uncertainty, of concern for the future, for ourselves, for our loved ones. There is an undeniable stress that is weighing upon us all. 

There are all kinds of things we can do, and not do, to relieve this stress. I could list off the things that work for me, but I’m sure you’ve figured out your own options for lessening the stress of the present time. 

I prefer to share with you what perhaps only I will share with you. And that is simply a reminder. Ultimately, there is only one rock-solid basis for serenity, and that is God. To know him, to know his sovereignty, to know that he is love of us, is to know that we really can trust in him. But how does one come to this faith-knowing? I give you the best thing that I know of. I refer you to psalm 46, which I quoted above, and to the “psalms of ascent” of which I’ve spoken previously, psalms 120-131. You can also google “psalms of confidence” to find other psalms of confidence scattered throughout the psalter (Book of Psalms). You will find in these psalms expressions of trust, of confidence in God powerful enough to awaken this trust and this confidence in you. But I hasten to add: this faith-certainty of our safety in God’s hands is ultimately a gift of the Holy Spirit. Please pray for it.

Secondly, a suggestion. Very often, the road that leads us out of our misery is the road that leads us into someone else’s. If you’re experiencing stress, turn outward. Turn toward someone you suspect is also experiencing stress. Do what you can to relieve their stress. Sometimes it doesn’t take much. And your own stress will be dissipated in your reaching out. We are Christian. It is to this attention to others that is redemptive of ourselves as well, that we are called.

May God, in his Providence, keep us all safe, well, and perhaps most importantly, may he keep us in his peace “which surpasses all understanding”. Ph 4,7

God bless, Fr. Guy