At work in the vineyard

Sorry, it's been a few days since I was able to check in. Lent seems to have just bolted out of the starting blocks.

The past days have been filled to capacity and beyond ... all in the name of doing good (I hope). There are moments of grace all round though. One of the things I have agreed to do is accompany students who are fulfilling requirements for the D.Min. offered at Saint Francis Xavier University as they make their way through the requirements of this distance education program. That means that from time to time, I meet with one or more of the 'students' to help them reflect about their work, and come to conclusions about the next steps that need to be taken. It's pretty rewarding work when we begin to see understanding dawn and the pieces fall into place. Some of the greatest learnings happen not while actually reading the material, but when struggling to understand it, digest it and put it into practice.

It's exciting to see that the students who are preparing for Confirmation have already begun to wade through the first chapter of the required reading and to at least explore the information that is provided on-line as part of their preparation for this Sacrament. In the coming days, the traffic in on our website will increase (I'm sure) now that the Science Fair requirements that most students have been completing are coming to an end, and the first deadlines for the Confirmation prep program are drawing near. Of course, since I'm overseeing this program too, that means that I get to check in on them from time to time - lots of fun and really rewarding for me too.

Combine all this with welcoming the newcomers to our prayer spaces and bidding adieu to those who are now with the Father in our eternal homeland, and it makes for a life that has little time to get dull, but lots of variation and many opportunities to marvel at the goodness, generosity and love of our God.