Celebrate Sacred Space

It was 5:43 am on Saturday morning, the new light of day was beginning to fill more of the sky, I was out on the grounds in the quiet of the morning. As I moved a few tables into place and posted a few signs, my heart sang, “Bless the Lord my soul.” The day would soon become busy and loud but in these few moments of quiet, alone in creation, my contemplative heart was filled with hope as I moved into action. A few hours later I was greeting hundreds of people and sharing in a festival day to launch the 75th Anniversary of Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre.

In my opening greeting to launch the day, I quoted Psalm 118, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!” This verse echoed through both days of activities and events. As the final guests left on Sunday afternoon this sense of rejoicing and gladness lingered for a community of neighbours, the faithful, retreatants, and the curious had gathered to celebrate sacred space. To celebrate sacred space over the two days of the 75th Anniversary celebrations meant retreatants connecting, community organizations being supported, music filling the tent and lofting out into the hills, a mix match of people gathering at picnic tables to enjoy food, the sound of laughter filling the air, quiet moments of prayer holding us, and the trails being walked together. Rejoicing and gladness were indeed how sacred space was celebrated.

  

It was 6:15 am on Sunday morning, the cool air of an August morning surrounded me as I made my way out to the tent to prepare for the Anniversary Mass. I reflected on the day before as this same space was filled with music of all styles, with children running and elders sharing stories. I thought of the Friars of long ago and wondered if the hopes and promises they carried as they began The Mount had considered this far into the future. I was overcome with joy and peace as again, “Bless the Lord my soul” sang in my heart. A few hours later I was once again greeting hundreds of guests as they joined us for Mass with Bishop McGrattan. 

Michael Vos, Trustee for the Franciscans at The Mount, in his welcome at Mass said, “Like the Friars in 1949, we carry hopes and promises with us. Like every retreatant who steps foot onto this sacred space, we trust our God is meeting us in our journey and filling us with hope, peace and healing, as we pray together and for each other.”

The six hundred plus people who gathered for the Eucharist did indeed pray for each other, as we sang together and came to the table of the Lord together with our hopes and promises and prayers. I recalled how every retreat offered at The Mount is a invitation for renewal, for peace, healing and prayer. As our diocese enters deeper into the renewal journey, I couldn’t help but take note of this moment of all of us gathered. It was a renewal moment for The Mount and all those who make time to come on retreat as we step foot into the next 75 years of retreat ministry. We trust God is guiding us, we remember those who built this sanctuary and we invite everyone to find their way down the grid to 41160 Retreat Road as a place to be renewed and to celebrate sacred space.

Mount St. Francis celebrated 75 years on August 10 and 11, 2024.

- This reflection originally appeared in Diocese of Calgary Faithfully Edition for August 19, 2024.

Called and Sent Forth

 

 Jesus called the twelve 

and began to send them out two by two…. 

the twelve went out…. 

 - Mark 6.7-13

Sent

we are each sent forth

not just the disciples of long ago.

We are sent forth as the body of Christ

supporting all its members.

Sent

as light to the world,

heralds of hope and good news.

We are sent forth as disciples of this time 

giving testimony to Christ at work in our lives.

Sent

we the many and the one

in unique ways we go forth

into the many roads of life.

The sending forth of the disciples calls to mind the many roads which open before us in summer. Maybe it is to go visit family, or to go camping, maybe it is to a new community or new work, or maybe it is for a wedding, anniversary or maybe it is on retreat or on a pilgrimage. The sending forth of the disciples also invites us to pay attention to who we journey with and who journeys with us for both short trips and the long haul. 

The disciples did not necessarily know where they were going but still them went forth sent by Jesus. Our travel plans this summer might be a bit different as they are set with more specifics but still we are sent. Just because we may have determined the travel agenda doesn’t mean we should not be open to unexpected stops, new discoveries and encountering God with us in the journey and destination. No matter where we travel we are still sent as messengers of the good news – called to give witness to the love of Christ alive. The way we greet fellow travelers, those at our final destination, the family, those at the wedding or those on retreat or pilgrimage calls us to be witness of our baptismal call – we are light of the world and salt of the earth. 

Jesus calls us and Jesus sends us. Let us be attentive to the call and to where we are sent this summer for we will encounter Christ in a fresh way. 

Why not consider the call to pilgrimage or retreat this summer?  There are lots of options no matter where one is on the journey. Not looking for structure? Jump in the car and go for a drive attentive to what surrounds you and what you notice at the stops; begin and end the trip in prayer. Blessings on the journey.

Photo Credit: Claude Laprise

Summer 2024: Movements and Pauses

 

As we draw into the season of summer, where are you at? How is your heart? What are you leaning into or away from? Who is accompanying you?

 

Summer means different things to each one of us. For some it is a time extended rest, for others it is the busiest time of the year, for others it is a time for moving and new beginnings. Although we enjoy longer days and usually more pleasant weather, summer is a regular cycle of life, however I believe it offers a gift as well. The gift is to ask the questions and to then to dwell in them. To take a moment in the quiet of a summer morning or during a thunderstorm or while working in the garden to ask the questions and to listen for how God is weaving the answer into our life. When we listen, we should be drawn into hearing deeply and noticing the movements of our heart.

 

 

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.

It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green;

in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.

- Jeremiah 17.7-8

Where are you at?

This is an invitation to not only look at where we are at physically, but to note where we are in our relationship with God. Over the course of the first half of this year where have we met God and where has God met us? We need to know where we are so we can appreciate this place and where we have come from or to seek where need to go next both in our living and in our spiritual life. No matter where we are at this summer, let us put some markers on the road map of life which truly matter.

Spend a bit more time reading and contemplating scripture.

Notice the message of creation wherever the roads lead this summer.

A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you;

and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

- Ezekiel 36.26

How is your heart?

Our heart takes a lot of hits. It deals with a lot each day and tries to adjust to heartache and deep joys. To ask how the heart is, is to purposefully pause and pay attention. To hear how our heart is speaking truth into our lives is a needed part of a good journey. Does our heart need to be revived this summer? Allow the sacred space for this nourishment to happen, even if it is only briefly.

Spend time visiting and praying at a pilgrimage site.

Pause with your hands over your heart and breathe in life around you.

  

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.

- Hebrews 13.8

What are you leaning into or away from?

We all have habits and patterns which shape our living. Sometimes they lead us to life, at other times they need to be re-evaluated. Needing to lean into change is not always easy but leads to new life. Leaning into regular routines can allow us to appreciate the work which is ours to do. Leaning away from destructive patterns or empty relationships invites us to make space for what is truly important. What steps do you need to make in either direction?

Go for a drive down a road less traveled, take time to pause on the drive.

Create a gratitude list.

 

Jesus said, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

- Matthew 28.20

Who is accompanying you?

When we stop and consider our life, it is amazing how many people we encounter and share the journey with. Do those who support us and create space for us know we value them? Summer is a good opportunity to connect with these people and celebrate the bonds of life. We never journey alone; our God ensured this truth would be woven into our living with the gift of Jesus.

Gather loved ones around a campfire.

Send a text/card or make a phone call to someone you need to connect with.

 

No matter how our summer unfolds. It comes with invitations. Let us take the time to respond to these invitations among the ones for a barbeque, a pool visit, a road trip or an ice cream.

 

God,

You who journey with us

in all the seasons of our life,

we ask your blessings upon this summer,

wherever we go or wherever we stay

may we know you are with us.

 

You sent your Son,

the true light of the world,

may the gift of summer light

awaken in us the gift of his light in our life.

 

You gift us with your Holy Spirit,

may we respond to the Spirit’s promptings

as we ask questions, as we pause,

as come and go, as we do and be,

while we give thanks for this summer.

Amen.

 

 

Photo Credit:

David Trinks

Aaron Burden

Pentecost: The Breath of Jesus

Pentecost is not just a great festival which marks the birth of the Christian Church it also calls the followers of Christ to action. The most common image for Pentecost is the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and Mary as recorded in Acts (2.1-11). However, the Gospel of John (20.19-23) also has a beautiful Pentecost moment, which speaks to what we are to do as followers of the Risen Christ. 

Yes, the Acts version has people gathered and the gift of languages being shared as the message of Jesus is broadcast. It is powerful and speaks to the diversity of the church. The Johannine version is more intimate and speaks to the gift of the Holy Spirit at work in each one of us. In John’s account the movement of Pentecost begins with Jesus greeting his disciples on the day of Resurrection. He then offers them peace, they are reminded they are sent and finally Jesus breathes on them to receive the Holy Spirit and the call to forgiveness.

I find the intimacy of John’s account a beautiful invitation for all of us who profess to be Christian. The intimacy of the moment capture is a reminder of how intimate our relationship with God is, for Christ dwelled among us and gifted us his very Spirit. This is the intimacy of “there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life” (John 15.13). In doing so Jesus released his Spirit to be infused into our living, moving and being (Acts 17.28). The closeness of our Risen Saviour is as a close as our breath. 

The gift of peace Jesus promised his disciples gathered on the evening of the Resurrection, is beyond the peace of our world. It is not even the peace our world tries to fight for each day. The gift of the peace of Christ is the gift of our hearts being attuned to him, of surrendering our demands and false selves knowing we are met with the depth of love poured out. “By his wounds we are healed” (1 Peter 2.24) and this healing comes with hearts which settle into peace when they are met with the wounds of the Risen Lord. Only the risen life which comes with these wounds can bring us true peace.

This peace meets us in what is ours to do, which is to be sent. Notice how Jesus doesn’t tell the disciples to sit around and wait for more instructions, he tells them to go. He reminds them they are sent in his name because he was sent by God. It is in this sending which leads to the great festival of Pentecost where the disciples proclaim the good news, worship God and are a holy place for the Spirit to fall. This too is the truth of our life. We each are a vessel of the Holy Spirit, and we too hold the intimacy of our God in our hearts for we are sent to give witness to how this has transformed our life.

In the upper room on Resurrection Day, Jesus breathes on those gathered, he continues to pour himself out to those whom he loved and empowers them to be forgivers. To forgive means we have made space for the other, it means we have been met with peace, it means we are open to the working of the Holy Spirit. Our hearts and homes are the places where we are filled with Holy Spirit and enkindled with the fire of the love of God, they are where forgiveness takes root. 

The Spirit of Jesus breathes through all of creation and each one of us, may we continue to trust we are met with this gift not only at Pentecost but also in each season of the journey ahead. Let us go forth as the “baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12.12-13) being signs of renewal in our world. Come Holy Spirit!

Photo Credit: Robert Collins

Easter: A Season of New Life

 

       St. Francis of Assisi in his “Praises of God” prayed, “You are our hope, You are our faith, You are our charity, You are all our sweetness, You are our eternal life.” These beautiful lines of prayer speak to the depths of this Easter Season. St. Francis trusted in new life and knew God was the source of this new life. It is why as his life was ending, he was able to prayer, “Praise to you my God for Sister Death.” He trusted in the promise of the Resurrection. He was able to surrender into “My God and My All” who was his hope, faith, charity, sweetness and eternal life. This is the anchor of Easter, our Savior Jesus died entrusting his all into God and God raised him from the dead so we may know the fullness of eternal life. St. Francis trusted in this promise. Do we? As we face the challenges of life, the setbacks, the little deaths, the brokenness and the letting go, do we trust our Risen Lord is with us as our hope, faith, love and life? 

    Mary Magdalene had to, so did Thomas, John, Peter and the Emmaus disciples. In the Easter weeks ahead, we will hear of the early church community which formed after the Resurrection. They too needed to trust the Risen Lord was present with them in the stories they shared and in the blessing and breaking of bread. The first believers are encouragement for us today. The chaos of their world is still the chaos we see in our world; we must be attentive to the Risen Lord in our midst in the simplest of ways. 

    As the Easter weeks unfold, we hear Jesus described as the Good Shepherd, and the True Vine. Images we can appreciate during this springtime. Images which remind us to pay attention to how the Risen Jesus is woven into the ordinary of our lives. The Risen Lord guides us as his flock. He desires nothing more than for us be a community gathered around the gift of his Risen Life. We are also to grow and produce fruit which shows the world we believe what we profess in our baptismal promises which we have just renewed.

Later in the Easter Season we will be reminded of how Jesus showed us God’s love and how he has asked us to show this love for one another. Christ chose us and if he chose us then the way we show who he is and his love in our lives matters. How in this Easter Season can we be concrete expressions of his love? How can we offer the hope of Easter to someone? In what ways can we encourage new life in our relationships and community? 

Weeks from now at the end of the Easter Season, we will hear the beautiful promise of Jesus being with us until the end of the ages and the gift of his Spirit to us. The gift of his Spirit activates in us praise and entrusts us as heralds of his hope, faith, charity, sweetness and new life. Let us be these heralds this Easter Season!

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Easter Peace!

This will be the last post for a several weeks as I take time to work on some new projects and rest. 

Thank you for journeying with me through Lent and into Easter. God bless you. 

Photo credit: Suzanne D. Williams

Awe: The Gift of Easter

        Awe is described as a feeling of reverence and respect mixed with wonder. Does this not describe the Resurrection with the encounter of the empty tomb, meeting the Risen Lord and being sent on mission to tell the Good News? Awe fills us at many moments of our life. It need not be fleeting rather it can be a constant gift which reminds us we are people of Resurrection each day.

Being able to appreciate springtime sunrises often fills me with awe. Seeing a crocus spring up after the winter does as well. So does hearing my name called in a distinctive way. Creation and relationships have ways of gently calling us to be filled with awe. Do we allow ourselves to be touched by awe? Have we moved into “survival mode” or a dull routine where the celebration of Easter has become just another Sunday in the calendar year? This Easter Day is the launching of the 50-day season, an invitation to let awe be a gift to move past survival and routine. It may begin with something as simple as our name being called or in the way we call another’s name.

        We hear our name called thousands of times over our lifetime, when we hear it for the first time in a new way we are filled with awe. The first time I heard my name combined with Uncle or with Friar made me pay attention and take note. I was filled with awe. When Jesus called Mary Magdalene on Easter morn, she heard her name in new way and in hearing it she was awe-filled but also called and sent. She was by name sent as the Apostle to the apostles to announce to them, “Christ is Risen… I have seen him!” We too are called and sent, not only in this Easter Season but all the days of our life. How does our daily living reflect the Resurrection? How do we call others by their name? Do we leave them feeling regret or awe?

     Catholic journalist Philip Kosloski reflecting on the life of St. Francis of Assisi said, “A life lived authentically rooted in the Gospel has more power than any king or earthly ruler and will endure for all eternity.” This is at the core of our Easter awe and living. It is at the core of our name being called by the Risen Christ. This is not just for St. Francis and the countless saints we honor, it is for us, today, here, and now in 2024. We, the saints of today, the People of the Resurrection for our time and space are called and sent. May our lives be a witness of the gospel and lead others to know awe truly is a gift still accessible to us even today. We do this when we embrace how reverence, respect and wonder aren’t obscure gifts rather they are daily gifts because of the Resurrection of Jesus. We are claimed in baptism, we are called to live the gospel authentically (which means always learning and growing from it) for we are witnesses of the Resurrection. Let us be willing to be filled with awe and then fill our part of the world with awe, it will make a difference just like the Resurrection does each day.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Easter Blessings!

Photo Credits: Dominik Scythe and Ashlee Marie

High Stakes Humanity: Holy Week Perspectives

       

        As we journey into this Holy Week let us be attentive to the tensions and movements of the heart of not only those who lived with Jesus but also our own and those who live with us. Holy Week is time to consider the perspectives of high stakes humanity.

The shouts of “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” bring us into this week. We add our voices of praise for we know the rich blessings of Christ. Do we live from a place of blessing and gratitude?

In the gospels for each day of Holy Week we see and hear many different characters. We begin with Pilate and the tension he carries. He feels torn and, in the end, lets pride lead the way. When tensions arise in our life or community do we hold firm in our blinded ways or are we willing to listen to truths we have not considered?

We again encounter Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. They offer a space for Jesus to gather with those dear to him. During this time Mary anoints the feet of Jesus. When we see actions for the good of others which challenge our norm do we get uncomfortable and defensive, or do we take note and let our heart be transformed?

Peter also plays a key role in the unfolding of the week, as does Judas. One denies and the other betrays. We too know the pain these actions cause in our lives. Denial cuts to the heart and betrayal leaves one feeling abandoned. How do we not let moments of denial and betrayal destroy our living in Christ? How do we rise above?

As we enter the Triduum we are invited to table with Jesus and his disciples. At this table not only are we gifted the life-giving bread and living cup, we are also shown what it means to be of true service and to lay down one’s life for another. Who do we need to be gathered at table with during the season ahead? Who do we need to thank for their acts of service? No matter where we are in the journey of life are we willing to lay down our life for another through sacrifices and service?

As we come to Good Friday, we again hear the cries of “Crucify him!” The angry jeers of the crowd. We cannot remain here; we must move to the foot of the cross. Here we see the deep care of Jesus as he gifts John to his mother and his mother to John. The early church will know it is anchored. We too must note the actions of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Their care for Jesus calls us to be care givers for the Body of Christ. How can we do this in these holy days and in the season ahead?

We then we enter the silence of Holy Saturday. A perspective which we often ignore. How can we incorporate even a moment of holy silence into our daily living?

Holy Week is indeed high stakes. Let us enter earnestly, paying attention to the movements of the week and the movements of our heart.

We glory in your cross, O Christ for it is the way to life.

Photo Credit: K. Mitch Hodge