Saint Dominic Parish
Welcomes You!
Saint Dominic Parish in Oakville, Ontario is one of 126 parishes in the Diocese of Hamilton in south central Ontario. The Diocese of Hamilton was established in 1856 and the current Diocesan Bishop is the Most Reverend Douglas Crosby.
"Beloved, since God loved us so much,
we also ought to love one another."(1 John 4.11)
In all of life’s changes and turmoil, maintain your stability and a firm sense of identity by anchoring your life to something unshakeable. Anchor your life in fidelity to the Lord and his way of life.
Faithfulness to being a loving person gives your life all the meaning and purpose it needs. Don’t permit “trying times,” bad news, shifting public opinions, economic uncertainties, or personal hardships to destroy your equilibrium and peace of mind. In moments of despair or confusion, always remember what you are for.
You have no need to be frightened no matter how chaotic the times may be, as long as you remain true to your purpose. Trust that in God’s care, “not a hair of your head will perish.” and continue to live by love.
(from Michael Kent, Bringing the Word to Life, 1997)
Why does God allow pain and suffering?
We ALL have choices. This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen. It’s an explanation all people will understand. A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: “I don’t believe that God exists.” “Why do you say that?” asked the customer. “Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn’t exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can’t imagine loving a God who would allow all of these things.” The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: “You know what? Barbers do not exist.” “How can you say that?” asked the surprised barber. “I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!” “No!” the customer exclaimed. “Barbers don’t exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.” “Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me.” “Exactly!” - affirmed the customer. “That’s the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don’t go to Him and do not look for Him. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.”