Jesus told the disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart – At the very beginning of today’s passage of the Gospel the Lord teaches us to be persistent in prayer. Too often we get discouraged when our prayer seems to be unanswered. However, from the Gospel we learn that when we trust the Lord we will receive what we need. Persistence in prayer expresses our confidence in the Lord.

This Sunday is World Mission Sunday. As per the initiative of Pope Pius XI, the second last Sunday of October is dedicated to the missionary work of the Church. Pope Francis established the month of October in 2019 as an Extraordinary Missionary Month. The Holy Father asked the whole Church to “take up again with renewed fervour the missionary transformation of the Church’s life and pastoral activity”. The faithful throughout the world are invited to support that ministry both spiritually and materially. The collection this Sunday is organized by the Pontifical Missions Society and the collected funds assist some 1,250 mission dioceses under the responsibility of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. In Canada, as per agreement of the Holy See and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, a portion of the contributions will continue assisting six dioceses in Northern Canada until 2020.

This Tuesday, October 22nd, we observe the memorial of Pope Saint John Paul II. During almost 27 years of his pontificate (from October 16th, 1978 until April 5th, 2005) he changed the face of the Church and world. He made trips to 129 countries. He caused the collapse of dictatorships and the fall of communism regimes. He issued 14 encyclical letters and numerous other writings. He promulgated the Code of Cannon Law (Church Law) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He canonized 482 people and beatified 1327 people. He established an International World Youth Day and instituted the Feast of Divine Mercy. He was beatified by Pope benedict XVI in 2011 and canonized by Pope Francis in 2014.

Saint John Paul II – pray for us!

God bless,

Fr. Peter