PRINCE ALBERT — Maundy Thursday is a special day for clergy in the year of the church.
In the Diocese of Saskatchewan, they are invited to come together for lunch and fellowship in their shared duties within their parishes.
Following lunch, they meet in the church to renew their vows and replenish the healing oils they use in their ministry. The deacons and priests come from as far as Stanley Mission, Pelican Narrows, Montreal Lake, Nipawin, Tisdale and Sturgeon Lake.
However, some who were unable to attend were dealing with a suicide in their parish and a death in their family.
In his message to his clergy, Bishop Rick Reed told of Bishop McLean, who read the vows he made at his ordination every day.
Although they seem simple enough, it isn’t easy. We might think that daily prayer and hearing God’s word would be the easiest part, but so often life and ministry collide, and you hit the ground running with no time for the essentials of your spiritual life, nor time to care for yourself as you seek to care for your people.
What we need to remember is that what we do is with the help of God, and without Him, it is impossible. We are called to be precisely what we hope the members of our churches will also become.
We are human, frail, weak and sinful just as they are and we are a target for the enemy, who would want to see us and our churches unequipped and failing.
So, it is hard, and this is why we are here today, and every year to be reminded of who we are and our calling in the midst of the struggle in our day. Recommitting ourselves and asking God again to help.
