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Musings for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time
“It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” Hebrews 2:10-11
The author of the letter to the Hebrews states rather clearly that suffering changes us. In my experience as a priest, suffering does not always perfect us. Sometimes suffering hurts so much that we become depressed, discouraged and we turn away from our self, our friends, the world around us and from God. The author suggests that suffering unites us and reminds us that we have one Father and that we are brothers and sisters of Jesus. His suffering connects him to us and us to him.
Amid our pain, it is hard to remember that we are one people, we are one with God and that we are being made perfect by God. And yet our faith reminds us of this. Perhaps when all is well with us, it is good for us to ponder this mystery. That person over there is not a stranger but a part of our family.
A Few Things from the Parish:
New Pastoral Associate – I want to share with you the news that Sr. Cindy Lewans, pm, a Sister of the Presentations of Mary has been hired as a Pastoral Associate here at St. Philip Neri Parish. Sr. Cindy also works as Chaplain at two Care Homes in Saskatoon. She has a background in Education having taught for a few years before transitioning to chaplaincy work. Sr. Cindy is a regular at our morning liturgy and often leads our Lay-presided services. She has also previously helped adults on their journey of faith. As part of our Parish staff, Sr. Cindy will work to help prepare families for the baptism of their children, with preparing children for the Sacrament of Confirmation and assisting adults as they seek to become members of the Catholic Church. She will be working a few hours each week or about 40 hours a month.
New Caretaker/Custodian – I want to share with you some good news. Last weekend the Personnel Committee did interviews for a new Parish caretaker/custodian. We took note of two very good candidates. We chose Lance Hartman, who is a parishioner here with his wife Marla, to become our new caretaker. Having grown up on a farm and with extensive education and work experience, Lance brings many skills to his new position with us at St. Philip Neri. We welcome Lance to his new role. He will be working four hours each day unless there is a serious need for him to be present for a special event. Be sure to lend him a hand should he ask for your assistance.
Thanksgiving Weekend is coming up. As we prepare for this great feast let us be gentle with family members who see things differently than we do. Let us also make a special effort to gather with friends and family here at the Church to let God know we are thankful and to let God feed us with his word and the Eucharist. Safe travels to all our parishioners who will be travelling to visit family.
OCIA formerly known as RCIA – This week Sr. Cindy, Jay, Gabriel and I met with three young men who are interested in becoming members of the Catholic Church. Sr. Cindy began our session with prayer and ended it with prayer. In between the prayer, we shared a little information about who we are and what our journey might involve. Please pray for us as we embark on this exciting journey to get to know the life of God just a little better.
Baptisms – Congratulations to Jenny and John Loran, parents of Ryker Loran and Marilyn and Nishan Jayasinghe Liyanage Don, parents of Ethan Jayasinghe Liyanage Don. Ryker and Ethan were baptized in our Parish last Sunday. We welcome them and their parents to our faith community.
Stolen Bicycle – Last Sunday during our 10:00 am Mass, a young man who is a student and uses his bicycle as his primary means of transportation, had biked to church and chained his bike outside the church. After Mass, he went to get his bike and discovered that someone had cut his chain and stolen his bike. At our liturgies this weekend, we will take up a collection so that he might be able to purchase a replacement bike. A heads-up to anyone who uses a bike to come to Mass, please let Fr. Doug know and we will find a safe place for you to store your bike during Mass. |
