“Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down.” Lk 13,9

Dear parishioners,

Today’s gospel message is simple enough, and salutary. We are reminded that we are given a time, but a finite time, to make peace with God. We are called in fact to be ready at all times, at peace with God at all times, because we do not know the time when we will be called to the Father, and we want to be ready when we are called. Quite simple, and quite compelling.

In other news, the three talks that were delivered during our parish mission last week were really very good, very relevant to the layperson, and to the family. They were live streamed, so they are recorded and can be viewed on our Youtube channel.

There will be a special collection next Sunday to raise funds to bring a refugee to Canada. A young man came to me recently with a plea for help to bring his mother to Canada. He arrived as a refugee just last fall. The war in Syria has torn his family apart. One of his brothers was taken by the Syrian forces in 2013, and they haven’t heard from him since. He has a father and a brother still in Syria, and two sisters in Lebanon. And his mother is alone in a refugee camp in Jordan. She is the one he is hoping to bring to Canada. He calculates that he will need about $10,000 to bring her to Canada. He has posted a Gofundme page, and was able to raise $2000. But he’s still short $8000. He is currently learning English and working part-time in a warehouse. Because this case is so straightforward and requiring from us nothing but financial help, I felt this was something we could take on. The envelopes for this special collection are in the pews, so that you can take the envelope home today and return it with an offering next Sunday. Hopefully, we’ll be able to meet his needs, and contribute to the deliverance of his mother from the refugee camp.

I thank the CWL who today will be doing a much-needed cleaning of our church basement kitchen.

Please make room in your prayer today for our catechumens who are receiving the first of three rites of scrutiny, a rite, as I understand it, of purification, healing, and deliverance to prepare their hearts and minds for receiving the Holy Spirit in baptism. May they be granted all the healing and purification and deliverance they need. 

The pandemic numbers are trending consistently downward in BC, which is great, but they are climbing elsewhere in the world, so let’s stay safe. God bless us and keep us all safe and well.

Fr. Guy