Saturday, 30 November 2019

Advent Journey




We trudge along,
the daily grind
keeping us locked in
to the ways the world wants.

The seasons change,
the days grow short,
the nights linger on,
we stumble through.

A small light appears
then another shines
soon another appears
the path is not so dark.

The path has a name,
it is Advent,
we enter in
embracing light by light.

Embracing this light
requires waiting and patience
to kindle it more;
enflaming it within.

Advent light:
the armor I put on
strengthening me;
calming my soul.

Awakening me more
to the brilliance of
the Light of Lights
desiring to be born in me.

The journey need not be
a trudge; an aimless way,
rather purposeful steps
must be my way.

Step by step,
with light in hand,
hope builds at my core
on this way I must go.

The invitation comes each year
it is mine to choose
how will I walk
this Advent path?

With works of darkness
or by wearing light?
With greedy hoarding
or free generosity?

With endless tasks
or expectant hope?
With swords and shields
or determined plowshares?

With proud self-will
or a humble trust?
With worldly ways
or “God’s will be done?”

The sacred journey
climbing each day,
God ahead of us,
God behind us and with us.

A step ahead,
light in hand,
rejoicing for the coming kingdom:
O Come O Come Emmanuel!


Welcome Advent Time!
“Come let us walk in the light of the Lord.”



-inspired by the “Growing in Hope” Advent Retreat
at Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre
and Isaiah 2:1-5



Friday, 22 November 2019

Kingdom of Love and Fraternity


As the Church Year comes to a close with the Feast of Christ the King (Sunday) and this last week of Ordinary Time I often think about who is Christ as King. Christ as a King, not your ordinary image of him. Often artwork portraying him as king have him in royal robes and fancy crowns; this often misses the mark of the true image of kingship. Kingship, especially that of Christ is an image of humility, service, hospitality, sacrifice and inclusion. Christ Jesus born in a manger, welcomed all with the love of God, washed the feet of his disciples and his grand royal march was to the Calvary hill where he laid down his life for the kingdom. Not so much the image of royal robes flowing, the crown fit perfectly and the grand throne to sit upon.

This past week our community of Friars gathered for a morning of reflection. We reflected upon St. Francis and his encounter with the Sultan 800 years ago. One of the readings we reflected with was the document which Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb signed earlier this year as a joint document entitled “HUMAN FRATERNITY FOR WORLD PEACE AND LIVING TOGETHER.” 

Click on the link for the document:
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/events/event.dir.html/content/vaticanevents/en/2019/2/4/fratellanza-umana.html

This document calls us to see that our God is a God of encounter and God of love. It reminds us that as one human family we are united to one another and that the kingdom of God is for all people. This is the kingdom which Christ desires.  

This was also made evident this past week as we hosted a dialogue evening between Christians and Muslims. Both presenters, an Imam from Calgary and a Friar from Rome, made the point that our human fraternity, our common bond as brothers and sisters is rooted in love because God has created and loves us. This is the kingdom which I see, as I consider Christ the King. Not one which has used his name to conquer lands or promote fear, not one which has suppressed relationships or barricade peace, not one which has presented a tainted version of Christ’s goodness and how he came as a messenger of the love of God.

As kingdom builders we must continue to build bonds with our brothers and sisters in our communities. We must build a kingdom where all are welcome, where love, hope and hospitality speak of the kingdom to come and a kingdom which is always just so very close.

Reflecting on the Human Fraternity document and the events of this past week this prayer arose in me.

You God of Life
You God of All
You God of Love
desire nothing more than
justice and mercy
compassion and goodness
understanding and peace
dignity and love
for all your children
where ever we are
how ever we are
who ever we are.

You God of Life
You God of All
You God of Love
you have created us
in your image
holy, good, worthy,
innocent, free, magnificent,
wonderful, unique, beloved
all your children
where ever we are
how ever we are
who ever we are.

You God of Life
You God of All
You God of Love
in our brokenness
you do not abandon us
rather you awaken us to
what we offer each other
in fraternal bonds
for all your children
where ever we are
how ever we are
who ever we are.

You God of Life
You God of All
You God of Love
call us to
defend innocent human life
befriend the poor
walk with refugees and outcasts
be family win community
all your children
where ever we are
how ever we are
who ever we are.

You God of Life
You God of All
You God of Love
we call upon you
we desire to reflect you
we strive to be life-giving
we are filled with hope
we thrive in your love
for we are all your children
where ever we are
how ever we are
who ever we are.

You God of Life
You God of All
You God of Love.


Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. 
1 John 4.7

Friday, 15 November 2019

Precious Promise


“Not a hair on your head will perish.” Luke 21. 18


Earlier this week a dear friend of mine told me that his Godson died a day shy of being 2 months old. Two months old, not two years, not two decades, not two times two times two times two times two, no, merely 59 days old.

My heart sank. My heart hurts for the parents of this child, his siblings, his grandparents, Godparents and relatives. As I write this, tears sit in my eyes as I reflect on the gift of life we are each given and the brief moments which is 59 days, 29 years, 64 years or 91 years. No matter the length of life or the shortness of life – life is precious. That may should cliché to say, it may even sound controversial to some who read this, but if we fail to see how precious life is, we fail to see the goodness, the worth, the dignity and the holiness which is ours and in all of creation.

I can guarantee you that the parents of this child are keenly aware of how precious life is and are yearning to understand the gift of 59 days. I can guarantee you that each moment this child was held, caressed, whispered to, snuggled and prayed for he was filled with the gift of how precious he was for his brief journey here and how precious he is in the eyes of God. I can guarantee you not one precious lock of hair on his head that his mother gently kissed, that his father gently patted, that his sisters gleefully were amazed by has not gone unnoticed by them or by the kingdom of heaven. Yes, his family now walks the path of mourning and emptiness but that does not leave them in despair. The promise of knowing that “not a hair on your head will perish” is the promise made to us in the resurrection that of life eternal. Life eternal where suffering does not have a place, where mourning is not part of the vocabulary, where grief does not letters to spell itself out; this is the precious promise this family now ponders in their hearts.

We do not know how our life journey will unfold, how brief or how long it will be. We have no assurances except for the love of God. Even when we are sorrow-filled, even when we feel we have lost the way, even when our life seems to be in shambles, even when life as we know it has changed God’s love is ever present. God’s love can not perish and will not perish, for God’s love is woven into the goodness, worthiness and holiness of our DNA. How precious is that? It is 59 days precious; it is a life time precious, it is an eternity precious.

As the days grow longer and we move into the depths of fall and winter let us be aware of those who walk in the shadows of death, of those who seek light because their darkness seems overwhelming, of those who mourn and desire for warmth and light to break the darkness. Let us be mindful of parents mourning the loss of a child – no matter the age, of families mourning the loss of a parent who filled the home with light, of those who have no one to mourn them or those who mourn alone. Our prayers can simply be a light which reminds them of the precious gift of life that is beyond this earthly one we so desperately hold onto as precious.

Each story is precious. So many moments we have are precious (and so often they pass us by) and our God is here with us for “to be near to God is my happiness, to place my hope in God the Lord” (Psalm 72.28).

Rest in peace little one.
Perpetual light indeed shines up you.
May the souls of all the deceased rest in precious peace.

Angel Protecting an Acorn by Anita Klein 




Saturday, 9 November 2019

Peace and Remembrance





Prayers always raising up this primal need
and yet we fail to see within that it must begin with me.

Each day another sad story comes across the news
and we wonder why and if this will ever end.

Are we doing all we can to build a culture of respect?
and so, to say with assured hope, “we will remember them.”

Canadians are called into remembrance each November eleventh
and we must ask ourselves: is it enough to only remember?

Each day provides us with a new opportunity to work for the common good
and remembrance is a part of this with my actions being those of  PEACE.

Franciscans are often known for their efforts of working towards peace because of the actions of St. Francis. The attributed “Prayer of St. Francis” is a constant echo not just for Franciscans but for all of us. As we consider each of those lines from that prayer, they call us to peace because they call us to selfless action.

where there is hatred, let me sow love
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light

grant that I may not so much seek
to be understood as to understand
to be loved as to love

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned

The prayer asks us to look beyond ourselves and see how our actions either enhance peace or rob it not only from ourselves but from so many others. It must be begun with us.

As we pause on this Remembrance Day, as we see the sea of poppies red, let us be aware that the wars we fight today can be stopped if we look at our lives with selflessness and how we are people of peace. Remembrance Day is for remembering wars long past and wars most recent. Is it not also time to start remembering that peace begins with us, not those over there or those down the street or those from that church?

Blessed are the peacemakers: 
for they shall be called children of God. 
– Matthew 5.9


Let us be peace peacemakers.
Let us remember.





Sunday, 3 November 2019

I Must Stay



Jesus said: 
“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; 
for I must stay at your house today.” 
– Luke 19.5

Zacchaeus, Martin, Elizabeth, Kevin, Mandy, Thomas, Madison, Eli, Callie, you, me… it doesn’t matter whose name is at the start of this sentence taken from the gospel of Luke, Jesus is speaking to each one of us. Not just once and while, not just when we think we need him or when we wish he would show up, no, always. Each day Jesus says to us, “I must stay at your house today.”

I must,” Jesus says. This alone is a gift. That Jesus sees being with us as a must. The “I must” is not a maybe, not when his schedule clears, not for the holidays, not when winter passes. No excuses necessary so Zacchaeus can attest to. This is a must which comes from a deep place of love and care. A deep desire to be present to us and for us in our everyday living. Remember scripture tells us that Emmanuel means – “God with us” and by Jesus saying “I must stay at your house today” is another way of reminding us of this truth.

This causes us a bit of panic. We think our homes are not good enough, we think we are unworthy, we think that too many others will talk. Again, Zacchaeus can attest to this, that no excuse is worth making to Jesus. When Jesus says must, he means it. Like Zacchaeus we too should “hurry and be happy to welcome him.” Do we? Do we readily welcome Jesus each day into our homes? Into our living? Into our working? Into our joys and struggles?



I guess that is what I have been pondering this past week and when I read this gospel for this weekend it gave some context to my pondering.

I have been pondering my Grandparents as they settle into new surroundings and a new home after many years in their rural community. They are now city dwellers in a retirement residence and it’s taking some time for them to adjust and find their new normal. Yet, Jesus knocks at their door and says, “I must come and stay at your house today.” I’m sure there are days they struggle to hear the knocking or don’t want to answer the door, but I think each day they do in some way. Whether it is answering the phone from one of family calling or meeting a new neighbour at lunch or slowly figuring out what the residence offers them for activities, Jesus is indeed staying at their house today. 

I know they don’t necessarily see it this way, but these two have been witnesses to me and my journey of faith and so I know in their hearts there is truth that Jesus is at their house. I know this because their faith is their anchor and as life changes with aging, different struggles are faced and new challenges are trying to be embraced they rely on Christ who is present to them. They rely on prayer which has been their foundation, they rely on each other and a passionate - loved-filled - vibrant marriage, they rely on the care and concern of others and it is in these moments that the must of the invitation of Jesus is made evident. It is these moments which speak of Emmanuel – “God with us” which they have witnessed to me my whole life.


So whether we are settling into a retirement residence or facing a new adventure in our work life, whether we are trying to navigate what it means to be family or have the courage to stand alone, whether we are content with life or beginning anew, we always have a companion because Jesus said “he must stay at our house today” and decided not to leave because God desires nothing more than to love us and remain with us. 

This is indeed Good News!