To: Clergy and People
From: The Bishop
4th February, 2021

Greetings!

Reflection -Give Us Strength O God For The Living Of These Days.

We are all creatures of the Divine one whom we call God. First of all, we are to acknowledge the existence of God who created all that exist; seen and unseen. The fulfillment of humanity, individually and collectively is found in God and are defined in the laws and the purposes of God, which are laws given not merely by words or commands, but in God’s creative designs/purposes for the human creature; in this way obedience to God becomes at the same time loyalty to who we are as human beings, in other words obedience to God fulfills the purpose for which we human beings were created. This point is made when we state that human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. Here we are speaking of relationship with God and each other. .Emerging from this relationship with God and with other human beings is an obligation which was established by the very act of creation, in which humanity is “gifted” with an aptitude towards God, and God appears as the ultimate “good” for which all human beings are made. This is to say that by nature we human beings are religious we are restless until we find our place in God. As St. Augustine says ‘You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you’

When we speak of faith, we are not merely referring to things we know about God rather, we are speaking of a relationship through which. we have come to know and believe that the fulfillment of humanity, individually and collectively is found in God and is defined in the ways and purposes of God.

In the Book of Exodus 14: 10-20 The Hebrew people found themselves in a very precarious situation, Moses was leading them on their escape from bondage in Egypt and suddenly they found that the sea was ahead of them and Pharaoh and his mighty army were pursuing them. So, they cried out to the Lord; and said to Moses: “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, in bringing us out of Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

The people in spite of what they had seen and experienced before were now in a situation in which they were terribly afraid, their faith was at an all-time low.

Moses said to them: “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still.”

Then the Lord commanded Moses to move forward.

It is with this faith that we respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Dengue Fever and. the effusive eruption of La Soufriere volcano and all the probabilities surrounding this, for by nature we human beings are religious we are restless until we find our place in you O God. As St. Augustine says ‘You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.’

Give us strength O God for the living of these days. Amen.

Grenada’s 47th Anniversary of Independence. 7th February, 2021

We join with the people of Grenada in giving thanks to God as they celebrate their 47th Anniversary of Independence. We pray God’s continued guidance on Her Excellency Dame Cecile La Grenade, Governor General,  Dr. The Honorable Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister, The Honourable Tobias Clement, leader of the Opposition, Members of Parliament and the people of Grenada. Collect- Independence:

O God our Father, whose will it is that your people should live in ordered societies; inspire the people of Grenada with the spirit of justice, truth and love; and so guide their leaders, and all who make decisions on their behalf, that they may direct their affairs in righteousness and peace; that they may live in peace and harmony and to your honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

Happy Independence, Grenada!

Clergy Retreat

The annual pre-Lenten Clergy retreat is scheduled for 9:00am on Tuesday 9th to 1:00pm Thursday 11th February 2021. This year the retreat will be virtual. The retreat conductor is The Rev’d. Canon Prof. Kortright Davis, D.Phil., LL.D., D.D. Professor of Theology at Howard University School of Divinity and the Rector Emeritus of The Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, Washington, DC. U.S.A. The theme for the retreat is: FINDING GOD AGAIN.

Ash Wednesday

The first day of the season of Lent Ash Wednesday is 17th February, 2021. Parishes will see how best they can observe this season amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.

With every good wish and God’s blessings!

Blessings and peace.

Sincerely

The Rt. Rev’d C. Leopold Friday
Bishop of the Windward Islands