During his homily, Mar Sarhad spoke of the prayer of Christ and how it was prayed for his disciples to be saved from evil. The prayer of Christ for his disciples and for the Church is that we may be holy, that we may be together in love and not alone. He went on to mention the Epistle from Saint Paul as well, “You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.” St. Paul mentions the Apostles together, not as an individual. At the heart of his sermon, Mar Sarhad spoke of his thankfulness to God for allowing his diocese to unite so beautifully, for as he said, “We are living the prayer of Christ.” Things that are worth much are expensive, and though this diocese has paid much for its unity, it was worth the cost. “I will defend this unity,” the Bishop said, “for all of you, for the clergy and for my dear brother, Mar Bawai Soro.” Though the struggle may take time, it is not something to fear. We will stand with Christ beside us and one another. Mar Sarhad ended by saying that we are all members of the same Body of Christ, “and I will defend you as I would for any other member of it.”

Following Mass, Mar Sarhad blessed a number of the faithful who were recently celebrating anniversaries, as well as others who desired a blessing. Afterward, he went outside to greet the children who were waiting for him to bless the plans for a new Basketball court which will be the newest addition to the St. Matthew’s property.

Once again, the youth from our Northern California parishes gathered together in a retreat to listen to God and at the same time draw closer to each another.  The retreat, whose theme centered on Samuel’s response to the Lord, was held from Friday, November 11th, to Sunday, November 13th, at the Presentation Center in Los Gatwas os.  H.E. Mar Bawai Soro, Fr. Dimitri Grekoff and Fr. Andrawis Toma, Sr. Tarbytha and Sr. Anahyd, and seminarians Simon and Royal were the honored guest speakers for the 80 youth gathered together from St. Mary, St. Thomas, St. Matthew, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parishes.

Bishop Bawai started of the talks with a discussion on the call to virtue and the need to draw close to God, which at the same time draws us close to one another.  The sisters of the Workers of the Vineyard talked on vocations and how to discern what God is calling you to.  The seminarians from Mar Abba Seminary discussed the importance of prayer and good friends when discerning a vocation.  Fr. Dimitri, completed the talks with a homily during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.  He discussed the graces that flow from God, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and the need for service to God, pointing out the Church’s emphasis of Isaiah 6 in which Isaiah, after his lips have touched the coal, offers his service to the Lord.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ — Isaiah 6:8

The retreat was filled with fun and spirituality.  In addition to having each others’ company, there were games, sports, and activities designed to get the youth to know one another more closely.  Morning and Evening prayers were accompanied by Rosaries and an hour of Adoration, as well as the station of the cross.  Our priests offered the Sacrament of Confession to many of the youth, with Fr. Dimitri actually hearing confessions until almost 2am.  The Eucharistic celebration formed the high point of the retreat.

Overall, it was a blessed event, and we thank God for the blessings, our clergy for their support, the seminarians and nuns for their camaraderie, being friends and great examples, the youth leaders from all the parishes for their dedicated work in making this retreat possible, and all the youth for their spirit and energy.