Feast of St. Francis of Assisi 2024: Trust, Believe and Rebuild

Saint Francis of Assisi, just say his name and it evokes different images, encounters and prayers. People the world over recognize this saint, our founder, and connect with him. They are inspired and encouraged by this medieval saint. Our own bishop of Calgary chose this day a year ago to launch the renewal process for the diocese and again chooses this year to launch year two of the Diocesan Renewal. Saint Francis captures the attention of many, because he points to Jesus and challenges us with the famous tagline, he heard from the cross, “Go rebuild the church.”

This sense of rebuilding can only take root in each one of us if we consider this saint not as an icon set aside but a common man set in motion open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This common man who was so in love in with Jesus the Christ; he saw him in the leper, in his brothers and in the church. This common mas who was in awe before God because God had created all as siblings calling them to return praise to God.

This common man, this saint, this brother of ours invites us to pay attention to the here and now. As the church enters the final stages of the Synod on Synodality, as we prepare for the 2025 Jubilee, as we mark centenaries of the Franciscan world, and in this diocese continue the Renewal Process, Saint Francis calls us to rebuild the church sharing who we are, what we offer and to do so in union with each other both the least and the great. 

The often-unheard text from Sirach (Sirach 50.1,3-4, 6-7) evokes the image of St. Francis rebuilding the church. We can easily imagine him holding up the church in the dream of the Pope. The Pope knowing he must respond and not simply let it pass by. Do we ever consider how we rebuild the church by the way we rebuild our lives in each season? 

In each season of life we must choose to continue to build on the foundation who is Jesus. Francis did this, and in doing so he was able to say, “I have done what is mine to do… may you do what is yours.” He built and then continually rebuilt his foundation on Jesus.

This building and rebuilding comes with the responsibility to “carry the marks of Jesus branded on my body,” as St. Paul says (Galatians 6.14-18). “To carry the cross” knowing in each trial, in each burden, and in the weight of the cross, there is also the hope of the Paschal Mystery. When Jesus calls those who are weak, wearied, and burdened; when he gives God praise for those who see with simplicity and don’t loose sight of their childlikeness we are invited into the movement of the Paschal Mystery and the life of the resurrection. We can see these movements in the life of St. Francis. He both delighted and was frustrated with brothers returning from mission, his time spent sharing with St. Clare, a Christmas moment at Greccio, the caves and crevices at La Verna, his Canticle of Creatures bursting from his lips, in his desire to know Christ so intimately so as to be branded with his wounds and his desire to be laid naked on the naked earth as he died speak to the renewal of the Paschal Mystery. These movements in the life of this common saint are invitations for us to consider how we also rebuild the church. Francis had to learn it was not a physical rebuild rather this rebuilding is about being relationship with fraternity, the ordinary and Jesus the Christ. So do we.

St. Francis trusted in the words of Jesus, he lived the gospel and calls us to do the same. If we consider the gospel for this feast (Matthew 11. 25-30) paying attention to the words of Jesus, we know St. Francis trusted and believed Jesus was present to him in his weariness and burdens and was revealing to him a way to live. He may not have known in full what this all meant and yet he believed he could reveal Jesus to the world. Do we? Do we trust and believe we also reveal Jesus to the world? On the good days yes, on the challenging days maybe not so much…regardless of where we are today let us trust we are met and renewed with the same love and presence of Jesus the Christ. Let us trust and believe our Brother Francis points the way to this moment and each moment of rebuilding which follows. 

Entering Autumn

 

    The Autumn Equinox with its equal balance of light and darkness calls us to consider:

-            What is out of balance in our life?

-            What light do wee need to carry with us into the darkness?

-            What are we harvesting during this autumn?

-            What are we preparing to let go of or let be dormant for a season?

 

As the season of autumn and harvesting unfolds, we become attentive to moments which have slipped passed. We honor them and release them to God.

               As we enter this autumn time, we take note of the changes in weather and colour. We pause to ponder what changes we are facing.

               As day light lessens, we cherish the gift of light a bit more. We contemplate how light meets us and how we let our light shine.

 

Lord,

in this season

help us to be attentive,

guide us with clarity

and freedom to release.

Amen.

 

Photo Credit: Tim Gouw

 

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