My dear friends in Christ,
 
Some of the most comforting words found in Sacred Scripture are the words “Do not be afraid.”  We will again here Jesus speak these words this weekend as will be proclaimed in Mark 5:21-43.  These are Jesus’ words, meant to come alive for us.  Fear can keep us from living our lives as God calls us and wants us to live.  Free of fear, anxiety, and free of sin.  We are called to replace fear with hope, anxiety with peace, and sin with grace.  Quite simply, that is what I want for all of us – my family and each of you my spiritual family.
 
Yesterday I had the blessed opportunity to encounter Christ in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  This involves honesty in acknowledging my sins, and humility in confessing them.  It is the same for all of us.  After hearing the words of absolution, my sins were forgiven.  I completed my penance.  And as I write this little reflection, I simply feel a sense of peace, having encountered Christ in the sacrament, and received the graces that I need to try and do better.  I am a work in progress.  This is my new beginning as I desire to mirror and imitate Christ.

It is likely that it has been some time since you last encountered Christ’s healing and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession).  This is your personal invitation.  Confessions are heard Saturdays from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. or by appointment.  Do not be afraid.  The temporary location is in the quiet room, a more favourable location to ensure physical distancing.  Care to go to another parish to have your confession heard?  A different priest each day hears confessions at St. Denis Parish Monday through Friday from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  Our other neighbouring parishes are another option.  Do not be afraid.
 
Some still may not be comfortable coming to the church quite yet.  Very soon, I pray.  In the meantime, make a good examination of conscience followed by an act of contrition.  There are a variety of Acts of Contrition:

Act of Contrition (traditional)
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love.  I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.

Act of Contrition (alternate form)
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things.  I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.  Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy.
 
An Act of Contrition inspired by the Gospels
Father of mercy, like the prodigal son I return to you and say: "I have sinned against you and am no longer worthy to be called your child."  Christ Jesus, Savior of the world, I pray with the repentant thief to whom you promised Paradise: "Lord, remember me in your kingdom."  Holy Spirit, fountain of love, I call on you with trust: "Purify my heart, and help me to walk as a child of light."
 
This is what I want for all of you.  Do not be afraid.   Allow Christ’s abundant mercy to shower you.
 
May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to you joining me for the celebration of Mass this weekend.
Fr. Greg

​My dear friends in Christ,
 
This Sunday in our Gospel from Mark 4:35-41, we will hear Jesus speak the words “Quiet!  Be Still!”  For these last 15 plus months we have been exactly that.  Quietly, in our homes and residences, we have done our part to “flatten the curve” in the midst of this pandemic.  We have waited patiently for things to reopen, not once, not twice, but now a third time.  Having just received my second vaccination on Friday, there is indeed the feeling that we are emerging from this time of quietness, stillness, and this time of being apart, physically, as a spiritual family.  With our ability to welcome 15% maximum capacity this past weekend and more in the near future, under the masks, I see the joy in those able to be with me in returning to Mass.  And to do what?  To be fed with the Word of God and physically with the Body of Christ.  To kneel in a sacred space.  To be with fellow disciples.  To offer prayers of thanksgiving.  And to be still. 
 
In this same Gospel, is very clear when it questions us:  Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?  If we accept the Gospel account that the wind and the sea obeyed Jesus, then we must answer this question.  If we reject that the wind and the sea obeyed Jesus, then we are left without faith and without any belief that this Jesus has any special role.
 
It is this Jesus, I pray, who has a very special role in your life.  This Jesus who you hunger to welcome into the very depths of your soul.  To open your heart to, and to simply be with, in our home of St. Julia.
 
To those joining us this weekend after some time, I look forward to welcoming you home.  To those in the coming weeks, we are ready for your return. 
 
It is our faith and belief in Jesus that has carried us through these times together.  And when we are faced with the next winds in life, it will be Jesus who carries us once again, and to bring the calm we so desire.  That is faith in action.  That is who we are.
 
May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to you joining me for the celebration of Mass this weekend.
 
Fr. Greg

My dear friends in Christ,
 
In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI remarked at Mass for the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ that “the Eucharist has the power to unite people, strengthen them and remind them that only God is worthy of worship.”  He would go on to say "to adore the body of Christ means to believe that there, in that piece of bread, there really is Christ who gives meaning to our lives, to the immense universe as well as to the smallest creature and to all of human history as well as to the briefest existence."
 
It was on this feast last year, June 14, that the doors of our church reopened after the first twelve-week lockdown.  Here we are, one year later, and still we have not been able to gather together, all of us, as one parish family to worship, and to physically partake in the bread of life, the body and blood, soul and divinity of our saviour Jesus Christ. 
 
What is it that brings us together?  That is what this Sunday is all about.  The Eucharist.  It is what unites us, and with the Word of God, is the spiritual food that we need.  We are all hungry, overdue to be fed by the real presence.  Once again, we are reminded that we are an Easter people, not just for the fifty days of Easter, but always.  We are people of hope.  We seek out that which unites us, brings us together.  With all that is going on around us, and what appears to be pulling us apart, what we need is that which unites and strengthens us all the more.  And that is the Eucharist.  To be present and still in a sacred place.  To sit and adore our saviour on our beautiful crucifix.  To come together, and know from the very depths of our soul that we are all loved.
 
We see glimmers of hope, and please know that I am ready to welcome everyone home, very soon, to your spiritual home of St. Julia. 
 
Until that time, whether in person or virtually, I look forward to you joining me for Mass this Corpus Christi Sunday.
 
May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love.
Fr. Greg