Fr Gerard’s Front-Page Reflection

Nothing given to God is ever wasted

I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your prayers two weeks ago when Frs Francis, Joseph and I were down with Covid. I watched on in admiration as the parish continued to function extremely smoothly thanks to the amazing planning and coordination of the parish admin team and the adaptability and openness of the worshipping communities. As with any adversity, it is a time of great grace and growth. There are always lessons to be gained, for nothing given to God is ever wasted.

During this period of change, perhaps Jesus’ words from today’s Gospel may have rung true, perhaps you may have felt like you were sheep without a shepherd. As a spiritual father and shepherd to the community, I too felt concern for my dear flock. My initial concerns were, how will they celebrate the Eucharist with 11 Masses on a weekend and only Fr Josh available? How will all my ministries for the week be taken care of? I knew I had to offer these concerns to God in prayer. I had to trust that God, working through the parish staff would have it all worked out. My concerns were short-lived as they assured me everything would be taken care of.

For some communities, the weekend Eucharistic celebrations were led by a priest as normal, how excellent! Perhaps nothing seemed out of the ordinary at all. For other communities a lay-led Liturgy of the Word with Communion was presided, equally excellent! Notably, this would have been how the early church communities gathered: praying and breaking bread together (there are still some communities in the Brisbane Archdiocese who gather like this due to geographical location and lack of priest availability). It’s reassuring to know that our crisis contingency plans have been successfully implemented and can be our fallback when necessary.

Jesus also reminds us in the Gospel that we need to come away to some lonely place and rest for a while. In an unexpected way, being sick with Covid meant that Frs Francis, Joseph and I were forced to slow down and rest. In God’s divine wisdom, it seems providential that Fr Josh will also be able to find some well-deserved rest as he partakes in a Men’s Retreat in Sydney this weekend.

Continue to look for God in the ordinary. Continue to look for God in the crisis. For nothing given to God is ever wasted.
God bless, Fr Gerard