From the Pastor’s Desk…

In today’s Gospel we find the beautiful picture of a gardener fighting to save a tree whose existence is being threatened due to its failure to bear fruit. If a fig tree is given a second chance at the hands of its owner then, all the more, a person ought to be given a second chance at life. How would our lives look today, if during our childhood, our adolescence and now our adulthood, we were not given the right to a second chance, a right to rehabilitation in the eyes of God and man. Those who ought to be aware of this right to a second chance are parents, teachers, managers and friends. Today, God Himself reminds us of this fact. Unfortunately, the application of this right is sometimes beyond the understanding and approval of others. There have been cases where those who gave second chances to others were rewarded with criticism, accusation and even arrest. In this regard, our Church is the best example. And truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle.
When the gardener asked for a second chance for the fig tree, he did not stop at just the request. He assured the owner of the garden that he would surround the tree with even more special care, devoting to it greater love and time. So it is with man. It is not enough to give him a second chance, but we must assure him of the means and help he needs so that this time he finds success and not another defeat.
Today’s Gospel is a call for us to take responsibility for the wellbeing of each other and, in particular, of those who have lost themselves on the road of life and salvation. Let us surround with special care and prayer those who suffer from addiction, that being given a second chance they do not waste it, but take advantage of our help and rise above their addiction for their own good and that of their families.
We invite you to participate in the Lenten retreat at Our Lady of Victory Parish from Monday, March 25th to Wednesday, March 27th at 7:00 pm. The retreat will be lead by Fr. John Canary, the former Rector of Mundelein Seminary and present Director of the Retreat House in Mundelein.

God Bless…Fr.Rich