Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As I sit beside my Christmas tree, with only the Christmas light around it, I look through my window: there’s white stuff everywhere – snow, snow, snow. It sure feels like Christmas 😊
I’m thinking of you and praying for you asking the Baby Jesus to bless you beyond your imagination this year.
Last year, the Holy Father wrote a document titled: ‘Admirabile Signum’ (On the Meaning and Importance of the Nativity Scene) This year, as I read it again beside my Christmas tree, something was stirred in my heart. The Holy Father said something that I never really paid much attention to. He spoke about the background of starry sky wrapped in the darkness and silence of night. He brings out a symbolic value from that: “We can think of all those times in our lives when we experience the darkness of night. Yes even then, God does not abandon us, but is there to answer our crucial questions about the meaning of life. Who am I? Where do I come from? Why was I born at this time in history? Why do I love? Why do I suffer? Why will I die? It was to answer these questions that God became man.”
COVID – 19 has made all of us think about the questions that the Holy Father raised. Only God alone in Jesus can help us answer these questions. In fact, He is the answer, the meaning of our lives and our hope.
The landscapes that are part of the Nativity include the ruins of ancient buildings which replace the cave of Bethlehem and become a home for the Holy Family. These ruins, the Holy Father says, are the visible sign of fallen humanity, of everything that inevitably falls into ruin, decay and disappoints. The scenic setting tells us that Jesus is newness in the midst of an aging world (in a world ravaged by Corona virus), that He has come to heal and rebuild, to restore the world and our lives to their original splendor. This brings me much hope as I look forward to 2021.
The Holy Father also draws our attention to the figures in the Nativity (the real ones and the ones we add ourselves): the beggars, the Shepherds, the blacksmith, the Baker, the musicians, women carrying jugs of water, children at play. In these figures, we find ourselves. No one can evict us from the Nativity. There is room for all of us.
The Nativity scene which the men of St. John Vianney gave to St. Ann is a true gift of love: for in the Nativity, we realize that we are family and each of us is important and we all matter to God.
The Nativity is also a sign to anyone who passes by our Churches that our Church is home to all, that there is room for everyone in our Church. In the New Year, as we reopen our Churches, I encourage you to invite anyone looking for a place to call home. Invite them to our parishes to share with us our fellowship with Jesus.
As we celebrate Christmas and as we come to the end of the year, I’m counting my blessings. You are a blessing to me. I have experienced love in our parishes. I feel very much at home here. I really want to say thank you.
Permit me to thank everyone for your contribution in the different ministries of our parish. Your ministry has helped to advance God’s Kingdom in our parish and in our city. Many have stepped forward during this pandemic to help in a special way. Many have volunteered in the office to help serve our people. Many good works have been done in our parish through your hands, feet, smile and heart filled with love and kindness. Since the pandemic, we have been able to bring the Holy Mass to our homes: thanks to our live streamers and their families who are here every day helping. By now, I’m sure they can even celebrate Mass without looking at the book. For all who have worked very closely with me during this pandemic, you have been amazing.
During this pandemic, I have received over 100 bikes from PDSCL (Penticton & District Society for Community Living)…. these bikes have been sent to children in Nigeria who never had a bike before. To my brother Knights who helped me in carrying, loading and transporting the bikes, thank you.
Melinda, our Secretary, has been on top of her game keeping all of us informed of all that is happening in our parishes. Please join me in thanking her.
Finally, I want to thank Fr. Harry who has been a brother and a friend to me in many ways. His ministry in our parishes has been amazing. May the good Lord bless him with good health as he continues to share God’s love.
As we celebrate this year even from a distance, may we look at each other again with the tenderness with which God looks at us. What is needed most today is a human touch that conveys the tenderness of the Baby Jesus.
May you have a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with God’s blessings!
Your brother,
Fr. Obi
Please take the time to read our Christmas Bulletin by downloading it below.
