Feast of St. Michael - The Warrior of Love

A month ago, I received the message that my Grandfather had died; a life well lived but still a surprise. I share that tidbit because today is his birthday, he would have been 93 years old. He was a great man – a man of faith, family and fun.  He loved that his birthday was on the feast of St. Michael. His birthday being on this feast and me being named Michael was always a connection he loved. Each year on his birthday whether I was visiting or calling, he would say: “You know today is St. Michael's Day. Good saint, do you know the prayer to Saint Michael?” I would always respond; “It is in indeed St. Michael's Day, a good saint and yes, I know the prayer Grandpa.”

Obviously, my Grandfather is on my mind today, as is my patron saint and his sidekicks. Not just because of the connection with my Grandfather and my name but because of how both my Grandfather and these holy angels always point to God and the power of God’s love. 

During the eulogy, my Uncle referred to my Grandfather as “The Warrior” an image he tied to St. Michael. It is probably the most common image of St. Michael this solider looking angel, with grand wings, a sword, a shield and chest plate of armor. However, the reflection of my Uncle leans more toward the image of a warrior as someone who is brave or even someone engaged in struggle or conflict. This speaks of my Grandfather and speaks of each of us; called to be brave in our daily living as imitators of Christ and aware that God is with us in the struggles and conflicts. Being a warrior does not mean we are off to war, being a warrior can speak yes, about being brave but also how we like the angles are guardians focused on the force of love, the awareness of serving and the power of gratitude because God is at work in us. A few key lines from Revelation (12.7-12a) can serve as a reminder of this: “Now have come the salvation and the power and kingdom of our God…by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony… rejoice then, you heavens.” 

The salvation and power of the kingdom is the force of God’s love at work in our lives. A love which we are called not to harbor and hide but rather to share and infuse the world with so the “the deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12.7-12a) cannot get his footing. We are called to be brave guardians of this love sharing this true love made known to us. How are we warriors for love? 

The gift of God’s love poured forth in the birth, life and death of his beloved Son – the Lamb of God; awakens us to the gift of a life of service.  God continually increases the strength of soul (Psalm 138) for we too are called to serve our God by the witness of our lives. How are we warriors like St. Michael – aware that God is God and we are not; like St. Gabriel – being messengers of Good News and like St. Raphael – being agents of healing - serving our God, aware of God’s presence in our daily living?

The power of gratitude is indeed the stance of the warrior, for evil is weakened in the battle by gratitude. My Grandfather had gratitude on his lips each day whether that was for my Grandmother and his family, the home he had, the land he worked, the friends he made, the work he did, the church he served or the beauty of creation around him – he rejoiced with the heavens and gave thanks to God with his whole heart (Psalm 138). How do we let the power of gratitude manifest itself in the moments that shape our day?

Today as we celebrate this ancient feast, with the messengers-guardians-warriors of love Saint Michael and the Archangels, with St. Francis and St. Clare, with my Grandfather and with each other, we too can echo the words of Nathanael (John 1.47-51), “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” For Christ, the Son of God is here with us and his love is as fierce as a warrior, as gentle as a dove, as present as our breath and as precious as our very lives. May the nourishment of each Eucharistic feast nourish us for the work which is ours to do in “the kingdom of our God” here and now.

And Grandpa, Happy Birthday! 

I know you are celebrating with Saint Michael and the Archangels today! 

You are near to me, close in my heart and thoughts.

St. Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle.

Be our safeguard against the wickedness 

and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him, 

we humbly pray,

and do thou,

O Prince of the heavenly hosts,

by the power of God,

cast into hell Satan,

and all the evil spirits,

who prowl about the world

seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

The Abounding Greatness of God’s Love - Psalm 145

         

As the season of autumn was welcomed this week, I have been in awe of the splendour of the transition this year. I always appreciate the changing of the seasons but this year I seem to be seeing with new eyes. Maybe I am learning to appreciate the pausing more, or maybe it comes with age, regardless it has been a needed gift. I find autumn is a magnificent time to ponder and appreciate God’s creation and how close to us is our God.

 

This past week a dear friend of mine led a prayer reflecting on Psalm 145. I was taken by the word abounding in the psalm and in his reflection. The idea of abounding being plentiful, many and multifarious not only speaks to the changing of the seasons but to the depth of God’s great love. It is also a reminder of how we are called to care for our sister Mother Earth and for our brothers and sisters. Abounding has captured my attention in new ways as I hear it proclaimed and see it on display in creation. I have tried to capture the brilliance of both this psalm and the autumn transition in the words that are filling my heart and through photos of the autumn beauty which surrounds me. I offer this as a reflection as we enter more deeply into this autumn season.  (Bold print is the scripture text).  

 

May your autumn be filled with deepening peace, 

restoring comfort and renewing strength.

I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name for ever and ever.

 

In the changing of the seasons, in the seasons of my life,

God, you are ever with me.

Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name for ever and ever.

 

On the days that are straight paths,

on the days that have more twists and turns.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
God’s greatness is unsearchable.

 

From the simplest detail in creation,

to the grand majesty which is on display.

One generation shall laud your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.

 

Those who have walked this share of the sacred earth before me,

those who will walk this way after me will indeed declare your goodness.

On the glorious splendour of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

 

In the quiet with the morning star, or walking a tree covered path,

sitting by the gushing water, or gazing at the magnificent mountains.

The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
and I will declare your greatness.

 

Your love consumes me, your gentleness caresses me,

your truth liberates me, your peace fills me, your greatness is present.

They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

 

In the golden leaf, in scripture proclaimed,

in the melody of a song, in the prayers lifted up, your goodness is here.

 

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

 

As I walk this autumn path,

your mercy, endless love and graces are made known to me.

The Lord is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made.

 

This autumn time awakens me again to how close you are,

and that your love is infused in creation and humanity (even when we miss it).

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

and all your faithful shall bless you.

With joy in my heart, gratitude on my lips and peace in my soul

I raise up my praise to you, O God, for your good and great abounding love.

 

Actions of Solidarity: Ideal Generosity

“Morning!” I called out as jogged past the man walking his dog in the dawn moments of the day. “Morning.” came the deep reply as his dog followed my every move. Several strides later a city worker emerged from his truck near my path and shouted, “Morning!” I replied the same. I continued my jog back to the Friary as the day began to unfold under new light. 

Later in the morning a co-worker helped me with a small project and another generously helped me with task. Shorty after lunch a friend kindly gifted me with a food item I was struggling to find and I returned his gesture with some tea I was hoping for him to try. Simple actions and words that made me think “oh, this is how the world should be!” It also made me think of the line, “Are you envious because I am generous?” from the parable about the landowner in Matthew 20. 

Life is full of generous moments. Even something as simple as a greeting can be a gesture of generosity and kindness. There are moments of generosity that we never notice and others that happen to help us simply function. Generosity is often linked to deeds and actions, an outward sign of the position of our heart. If our heart was envious it would not be in a position to be generous, for the giving would come across as stifled or fraudulent. It would echo the labourers from the parable in Matthew 20 who grumbled about the generosity of the landowner. 

Our God is indeed a generous God. God endlessly shares an abundance of freedoms, opportunities, and moments to encounter the splendour of creation and the depth of relationship not only with God but with each other. Our God never lacks in generosity even if we think otherwise or misconstrue God’s ways with our limited ways and understanding.

The generosity of God and our life has me thinking about a post I wrote in early June as protests continued across North America and around the world, heightening our awareness of Black Lives Matter. In that post I committed to learn more about racism and about poverty. I also made a solidarity statement of listening and allyship. Over the weeks that have passed I have been paying attention to my actions, my lack of action, what I am hearing and what society and I choose to let fall on deaf ears. 

Generosity is not a race issue. Generosity whether given or received, whether divine or human is for all people. How we are a human race together speaks of generosity. How we support each other or not speaks about generosity. How we rise up to the occasion to break down the barriers we use as safety nets speaks about generosity. If it does not it leaves us with the envious labourers from the parable. 

Over the past several weeks I have been trying to read and listen to people’s stories. Stories I have read, interviews I have heard that speak of the brokenness that Black Lives Matters and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movements are calling to our attention. Where are our generous hearts? Are they stuck in comfortable ways and easy donations? Are they willing to move beyond this and truly be generous, to be the generous that our God continually shows us as the true way? 

“God became flesh not because the world is full of sin but in order to transform the world into a communion of love centered in Christ. But as Albert Einstein warned, “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything”” (Patrick Carolan, St. Anthony Messenger, August 2020). It is up to us to continue to delight in God’s generosity, to be caught up in this communion of love. This is the depth of relationship and the beauty of the simple ideal world I encountered earlier in the day. How can we simply stand by and watch and not do anything? This does not speak of generosity. Rather it speaks to a closed heart unwilling to let the movement of the Spirit transform us.

Adele Halliday, a black Canadian in her perspective piece in September’s Broadview magazine says, “Undoing the legacy of racism is long-term work; please persevere long after this particular display of anti-Black racism fades from the news cycle. I need you to partner with God in actively doing this work… I believe God’s Spirit is also moving among the privileged and is disrupting, prodding and urging. God’s Spirit is also moving among the wounded and is soothing, comforting and encouraging. The work of racial justice is ours to do with God.” Ms. Halliday points to the generosity of our God and forces us to look at how this generosity is awakening us (or should be) to the work of the Spirit. God’s Spirit of love which is infused in us, which we are reminded of in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, “is not envious, boastful or jealous” (12.31-13.8). It does not allow us to watch “without doing anything.”

I know I have a longways to go on this journey of being anti-racist. I am however grateful for the gifts of generosity in my day that have once again reminded me that the God’s Spirit is indeed inviting me to partner with God to do my part in rebuilding the world as it should be. How about you? What is generosity and God’s Spirit stirring up in you as we try to heal our hurting human family? What can we do, so that it is not said of us, they watched and did nothing?

Hope Even When Our Hearts Are Pierced

A Reflection on Our Lady of Sorrow

September 15 is the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, (a title given to Mary) it is recognized the day after the feast of the Triumph of the Cross. It provides us an opportunity to ponder our sorrows and struggles but also that hope is always ours.

Ten years ago when the firstborn of my brother and sister-in-law was stillborn a sword indeed pierced their hearts and the hearts of our whole family. When Dawson, a young elementary student, on the weekend of his Aunt’s wedding fell ill and never recovered and weeks later I was leading his family and fellow classmates in prayer, I saw into the pierced heart of another set of parents and a family. When we hear the tragic news of yet another cancer diagnosis, a child of a refugee washed up on a shore, an opioid overdose, a suicide of a young person or even an adult, the hearts of another set of parents and family are pieced with deep sorrow. The agony of any parent to lose a child not only pierces the heart but also the soul, as Mary encountered those many years after Simeon’s prophecy. 

Each of us knows the agony of loss and sorrow. When our hearts and souls are pierced, we are left with a void, an emptiness, a longing for what was or what could have been. When our hearts and souls are pierced, we are left with the ache of sorrow and the agony of unanswered questions. When our hearts and souls are pierced, we are in a liminal place having to face our sufferings. 

Our pierced hearts and souls bring us to the foot of the cross with Mary. She stands with us as a witness that in our sorrow and pain we can always gaze upon Christ who is the “source of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5.9), love and hope. Standing with Mary at the cross with our pierced, exposed hearts and souls we have to face the new reality that is given us in the death of her son “who belongs to everyone” (Saint Bernard). The reality of new life, and for this new life to come forth the reality of pain is not foregone. Oh, how we wish it was. Yet we all know from the journey of faith that whether it is the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the termination of a relationship, the fears and loneliness of so many during this pandemic, raging forest fires, hate crimes or the surrendering of false expectations that pain and sorrow pepper our journey and once again call us to gaze upon him who is the “source of eternal salvation,” love and hope. 

Here at the foot of the cross with the sorrowful Mother we seek perspective for the new life which is to come on the other side of the piercing reality of the cross. Here with Mary we echo the truths of Psalm 31. Psalm 31 which must have crossed her mind and lips at some point whether after Simeon’s prophecy or in her deep sorrow at the cross or with small sufferings in between those moments; when her heart felt pierced beyond hope. This psalm speaks the truth that God’s steadfast love is our constant refuge, that God is abundant in goodness and faithfulness no matter our struggles, sorrows or how many times our hearts and souls are pierced. This psalm declares that we can trust in our God who delivers us, saving us from even a pierced heart and soul, for his beloved son is our “source of eternal salvation” love and hope each and every day.

Let us carry with us those we know who are hurting because their hearts and souls are pierced in this moment. Let us offer them and ourselves with what has pierced our hearts and souls together at the altar where we are welcomed to the banquet of life – our source of new life; where we encounter God’s commitment to steadfast love.

Remembering a Great Man

 “Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable – if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”  - Philippians 4.8

This past week my family has walked through the shadow of death as we came to grips with the death of my Grandfather. He died just short of his 93rd birthday; a life well lived. 

As I began to read messages of sympathy sent to our family on the funeral home website, messages sent to me and cards arriving at my mom and dad’s the word ‘great’ to describe Grandpa seemed to come up a lot. A simple word that is often used to describe kings, sports stars, movie stars and leaders of countries or provinces. Yet it kept appearing as a way to honour and celebrate the patriarch of our family. My Grandfather was a great man, he was also unique in the ways that he approached life and lived out his mission. 

Each member of the family was given the opportunity to place an item into my Grandfather’s casket. I choose to include a piece of writing. Grandpa was always amazed that I could write the way I do and that I wasn’t just copying other people’s words. I thought that sending him off to his eternal reward with some of my own words was the right thing to do. In part this is my tribute to a great man, who helped shape me, who encouraged me in every step of my journey and whose witness of faith sparked my own to go deeper.

Grandfather,

Thank you for the gift of life you shared with me, for lessons learned, for the stories told, for the moments we had together. Thank you for raising a beautiful family where I had my first friends and know life-long support.

We should all hope to live a life as privileged as you. Yes, I said privileged because you knew the privilege of:

the beauty of a life-long soul mate,

the love of family,

the good cheer of friends,

the depth of faith,

the dedication to community,

the effort of hard work,

the joy of music,

the willingness to volunteer,

the appreciation of time,

the awareness of prayer,

the desire to reflect,

the learning from history,

the tenacity to reach goals,

the quality of authenticity,

the hope of the spring seeding,

the amazement of a good harvest,

the gift of each season,

the freedom of a lively dance,

the laughter in a good joke,

the sweetness of a good drink,

the delight in a trick played,

the lesson of a story shared,

and trust in God.

You see Grandpa, it is a privileged and blessed life. Your witness of life is one I hope I can continue to learn from and carry with me as I live out my vocation as a Franciscan Friar.

I have loved you from the first time you held me with the great pride only a Grandfather can know and show. I am ever grateful to have called you my Grandfather and to be called your Grandson.

I trust you will pray for me.

Thank you Grandpa. Auf Wiedersehen!