Journey Into old Age (part 4)

 Last time, I offered the third part of the workshop based on the work of Helen Luke in her study of the journey into old age which draws on a number of classic stories.  Luke’s writing on this subject is found in her book – Old Age; Journey Into Simplicity.  Here is the final fourth part of that material.

 

III The Story: Odysseus awakes with realization of the path he must take.  He now knows the journey that he must take – a journey that is now not by water as is his want, but by land.  It is a journey he must undergo with a familiar token of his past voyages - an oar, which is now his only companion. Our hero then began this unfamiliar final journey until he came to a crossroads.   At this place he encounters a stranger who repeated words that had been prophesied so long ago.  The stranger did inquire after his well-formed oar, naming it as it was first so long ago – a winnowing fan.

 

Odysseus now is given the clarity vision to see the folly of his former years.  With eyes now clear and sight now freed he looked to what lay ahead and not behind.  His heart’s yearning was to go home.  However, he knew and the stranger’s words confirmed that would only lead folly to follow folly.  He must now face his fate so that he would not condemn his son to follow him in folly renewed.  

 

The stranger continues to tell Odysseus of the effect that oar - now winnowing fan will have on those that see it.  With the taste of that apple, they will be awakened to the possibilities they were not previously conscious of.  And so, a journey now beckons and begins.  Odysseus now plants the oar at the centre of the crossroad.  There it will grow as if alive - for so it is.  Its root will seek the depths of Hades – the Unconscious - and its new-formed branches – now sprouting leaves will reach the heavens.  This axis mundi will bear the fruit of Odysseus’ life work.  And there a carne was laid to mark this monument.    

 

 

Here the symbol of his former life – the oar which cut the water and propelled him through the hero’s journey of his youth – has now taken on a new symbolic meaning – a winnowing fan.  The winnowing fan that separates the wheat from the chaff will enable us to see clearly and differentiate the wheat, which provides the bread of heaven to nourish our souls from the chaff, which feeds our egos with empty calories.

 

The journey of growing old is one of increasing humility - where we see clearly the folly of youth - the striving and the conquests that youth is inevitably err to.  Will we give in to the temptation to hold onto the dream of recapturing our fading youth or will we seek the new way in which our oars will become winnowing fans. Again we face a challenge – to plant the oar of our last journey in a new land that will grow as we continue to explore the new land of our growing old.

 

Exercise: Identify an aspect of your youth - a symbol which propelled you through your journey in life. How can that symbol be transformed into a new symbol for your journey into Old Age? 

 

I will complete our journey with the final part of the material next time.  Blessings on your journey.

Journey Into old Age (part 3)

Last time, I offered the second part of the workshop based on the work of Helen Luke in her study of the journey into old age which draws on a number of classic stories.  Luke’s writing on this subject is found in her book – Old Age; Journey Into Simplicity.  Here is the third part of that material.

 II The story: Odysseus now recalls the words of Teiresias spoken so long ago.  With those words he recalled the folly and fate that youth had brought.  He recalled the prideful blindness his seeing eyes could not reveal.  In those words, consciousness came and with it the knowledge of the consequences they now bring.

 One of the marks of Growing Old is to begin the journey in humility.  To be truly humble is to see clearly as has been noted elsewhere.  We see our lives for what they are, the folly that we have embraced, the mistakes we have made, out of blindness and willfulness, the hurt we have caused others, and the hurt we perceive others have caused us. 

Exercise: How has humility, i.e. seeing your life clearly enabled you to appreciate this as a temptation? What does it mean for you to be humble?  Describe how you see yourself with clarity that you didn’t see at the age of 20, 30, 40, or 50. Identify a temptation that you experience at this point in your life that would feed your ego rather than enabling you to grow old.   

 I will continue with the next part of the material next time.  Blessings on your journey.

 

Journey Into Old Age (Part 2)

Last time, I offered the first part of the workshop based on the work of Helen Luke in her study of the journey into old age which draws on a number of classic stories.  Luke’s writing on this subject is found in her book – Old Age; Journey Into Simplicity.  Here is the second part of that material. 

Section 2 

In this section we will examine Helen Luke’s imagined epilogue to Homer’s Odyssey.  The epilogue was introduced by Homer in the middle of the story but never fulfilled.   Let us explore the final journey of Odysseus, which is his journey into Old Age.  I have summarized Helen Luke’s story and provided commentary on the different sections.   

I. The story: The peace and order ordained by Zeus has now been established for our hero Odysseus.  His reunion with Penelope long delayed is now enjoyed.  The hero watches his son gain manhood as Odysseus had these many years before.

Within Odysseus, rested but no longer at peace, restlessness stirs.  He yearns once more for the sea voyages of his years gone by where he once more would be the hero of years long gone.  Our hero falls into a sleep, which reveals to him a different journey now unleashed by forces stirring within him. 

The seer long absent to his waking life is now present once more.  Teiresias will reveal that fate, which has always been there waiting to be revealed.  The destiny revealed is no longer one of youth waiting to be lived out.  Rather it is one of completion to be fulfilled.

Teiresias reveals the journey that Odysseus now must make.  It is a journey unlike the others Odysseus embraced with joy and anticipation in his youth.  This journey will be by land not by sea.  It is his final journey he must now embark upon in his maturity.  It is a hero’s journey to be sure but not one for loot or conquest or glory.  Rather it is one of sacrifice and repentance.  

Teiresias, the wise old man, had appeared to Odysseus and revealed the journey that awaits him if he chooses.   This journey in his maturity will be unlike the one that he made as the hero in his youthful pride and exuberance.  It will be a journey by land and not the familiar sea, which he embraced, in earlier days.  

This different journey reveals the challenge of old age – particularly in our culture of eternal youth in which youth is prized and old age is devalued and ignored. The journey so tempting to our Ego will be one, “tempting us towards repetition of our life’s triumph, tempting us toward wreckage and the inferno, the other coaxing us towards the true journey of the soul that has lived long and well, and must turn away from mere continuation of accustomed efforts to new significant, perhaps painful, soul-journeys.” (Old Age viii)

Exercise: Imagine what it would mean for you to ‘Grow Old’ rather than succumbing into the aging process.  How will this journey be different from the journey of your youth?

 I will continue with the next part of the material next time  Blessings on you journey.

Journey Into Old Age

With all the hype about the latest phenomenon at the movie box office – the retelling of the story of the Odyssey – I went back to look again at a workshop that I had developed which involved the story of Odysseus.  The workshop is based on the work of Helen Luke in her study of the journey into old age which draws on a number of classic stories.  Luke’s writing on this subject is found in her book – Old Age; Journey Into Simplicity.  I would like to share the workshop material with you.  The material is too lengthy for this venue, so, over the next three week I will share one of the three sections of the material which deals with Odyseus’ journey into old age. 

Introduction

 

I shall say no more except that I already told you many years ago of the alternative journey you are now called to take – a journey which does indeed lie on the slopes of that mountain but holds no fame or glory for you; only loneliness and sadness.  The choice is yours.  Will you deceive yourself as Dante’s Ulysses did in a sin far worse than the deceit of the Trojan horse? (Old Age 12)

 

These words of the poet Teiresias, the blind poet, imagined by Helen Luke, to Odysseus resting from his toils and trials of youth, sum up the choice which all of us must make when we face the journey into old age.  Are we truly to continue ‘grow old’; to continue to grow in psychic maturity or will we simply succumb to the aging process – sinking perhaps not gently into that perceived not so sweet night fighting that inevitable journey every step of the way.

 

Helen Luke examines this journey as presented in some of the great heroes of literature who made that journey of growth rather than relentlessly sinking into old age.  In Old Age, Journey into Simplicity, Helen Luke examines the hero’s journey into Old Age presented in essays on classical works; The Odyssey by Homer, The Tempest and King Lear by Shakespeare, and Little Gidding by T.S. Elliot.  I will draw on two of these works for this workshop; The Odyssey and Little Gidding.

 

Section 1

 

Let us begin our exploration of old age as a state that we are approaching or have reached by first looking at Eliot’s thoughts on the subject.  Helen Luke identifies three ‘gifts reserved for age’ which Eliot has revealed (92):

 

First, changes which take place in our bodies, as our bodies age into maturity.  These can be sudden changes due to a loss of physical health.  Our bodies may begin to betray us.  We can no longer do as much or do things as well as we once could.  However, often it is a gradual lessening of energy in its different forms, which comes to us through the senses.  Our sight becomes dimmer and we need glasses for reading.  Our hearing becomes less acute, and we may need hearing aids to comprehend what people are saying to us.  Our taste, smell and even touch become dull as do those other things that give us pleasure.  What lies ahead is the prospect of an ever-diminishing horizon of the physical world. The ego depends on imaginings of future achievements.  We of necessity turn to the present moment for our satisfaction.  As Luke notes, the Self lives in and for the present.

 

Second, the helpless rage at the folly of people and the laughter at things in which there is no humour.  We see the folly of those in political power whose only concern is reelection and the things which will ensure that.  We see the arrogance and greed of business leaders and politicians who are enthralled to the acquisition of money and power.  We see idealism turn into intolerance.  Growing Old gives us the opportunity to find the place beyond rage, which is true compassion, and joy in all creation. 

 

Third, there is the gift of memories.  As we grow old, we are able to see the past with true humility and see what were once triumphs of the ego at the expense of others.  As Luke says, “the hypocrisy of the ego always at bottom (is) concerned with its own merit and comfort, and most dangerously of all, its own spiritual merit. 

 

Exercise: select one of these gifts which resonates with you most at this time.  Do you see this as a gift or as something less positive?  Has your understanding and perception of this gift changed in your life? 

 

I will continue with this theme next week. 

 

 

If at First You Don’t succeed – Perhaps You Shouldn’t Try Harder

The commandments of Jesus seem to be more than Christians could ask or imagine - not in a good way but, rather, they seem impossible.  Here is a summary of what is it that we must be and do?  Very simply:

• Love our enemies
• Bless them that curse you
• Pray for those who are spiteful to you
• Turn the other cheek if someone strikes you cheek
• Someone steals from you – give them something more to take
• Give to everyone who asks you

Here is a quote by G. K Chesterton that wonderful English writer, which is very applicable to this, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”

However, rather than becoming overwhelmed by the thought of trying to follow these commandments, we can turn, instead the beatitudes which can be considered alternative or, as Richard Rhor puts it, paradoxical commandments:

The Beatitudes are paradoxical “commandments.” They don’t tell Christians what to do; they tell them what they will be like if they are living in the kingdom: They will be poor in spirit, pure in heart, merciful and gentle peacemakers; they will thirst for what is right and be persecuted because of it, and they will mourn.

Lutheran priest and author Nadia Bolz-Weber offers her own version of beatitudes for people who may not feel blessed today.  what if the Beatitudes aren’t about a list of conditions we should try to meet to be blessed? What if they are not virtues, we should aspire to?... Maybe the Sermon on the Mount is all about Jesus’s lavish blessing of the people around him on that hillside … who that world—like ours—didn’t seem to have much time for: people in pain, people who work for peace instead of profit, people who exercise mercy instead of vengeance:

Blessed are the poor in spirit. You are of heaven and Jesus blesses you.

Blessed are they for whom death is not an abstraction.

Blessed are they who have buried their loved ones, for whom tears could fill an ocean.

Blessed are they who have loved enough to know what loss feels like.

Blessed are the mothers of the miscarried.

Blessed are they who don’t have the luxury of taking things for granted anymore.

Blessed are they who can’t fall apart because they have to keep it together for everyone else.

Blessed are the motherless, the alone, the ones from whom so much has been taken….

Blessed are those who no one else notices. The kids who sit alone at middle-school lunch tables. The laundry guys at the hospital. The sex workers and the night-shift street sweepers.

Blessed are the losers and the babies and the parts of ourselves that are so small, the parts of ourselves that don’t want to make eye contact with a world that loves only the winners.

Blessed are the forgotten.

Blessed are the closeted.

Blessed are the unemployed, the unimpressive, the underrepresented….

With that thought, I wish you blessings this day and every day.

 

Responding to Disaster part 2

Last week I introduced a summary of an address from a few years ago.  It was given by Rev. Dr. Lizette Larson-Miller, Professor of Liturgy at Huron University College.  Larson -Miller was the keynote speaker at the 2018 National Anglican and Lutheran Worship Conference.  As the “leader of the free world” has more than two years remaining in his term in the country directly south of us, a term which is defined by disasters, I believe that it is worthwhile offering this today.   Here is the conclusion of the summary of the address. 

At times, what is needed after disaster is a time of healing. However, Larson-Miller warned, “there’s a huge difference between Christian healing and ‘curing.’” While curing addresses symptoms, she said, healing is “always about wholeness”—mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.

Larson-Miller cautioned against blurring the lines between pastoral counselling and therapy. “Therapy, of course works towards diagnoses and treatment to solve [a] problem; prayer is not, first and foremost, problem solving…Therapeutic counselling is a separate field. Training in pastoral care does not automatically include expertise in psychiatry or psychology,” she said.

As Christians, she said, “What we have to give…is our presence, our time, our listening with the ear of our heart, the naming of the sorrow or the violence, praying to God for those who hurt, sacramental ministry and referral to other experts when that is needed.”

During a time of worship before the plenary session, conference attendees prayed through lighting candles and other activities. “Not all prayer is verbal,” Larson-Miller said.

One of the reasons theology can often be sidelined when responding to a tragedy is a reticence to talk about sin, said Larson-Miller.

Larson-Miller challenged conference attendees to identify and name the sins that lead to disaster. “The ancient tradition of the church of Christianity…is to talk about the solidarity of the suffering of Christ with the suffering of those who have been sinned against…who have been caught up into disaster.”

As an example, she led an ELCA prayer that names racism as a sin with tragic consequences.

“You can see, actually, the theological movement,” she said of the prayer, which begins by calling on God to forgive sins of racism and ends with asking God to “Empower us to speak boldly for justice and truth and help us to deal with one another without hatred or bitterness.”

Responses should still vary by context, Larson-Miller said. “Public rites of penance may be what’s called for. Sometimes…patience is called for. Sometimes claiming personal responsibility is what’s called for. Sometimes naming complacency in sin is called for.”

She also challenged churches to name “not just the evil we’ve done directly, but what’s been done in our name.” Like sin, evil has “fallen out of polite conversation,” Larson-Miller said, “But it is in the centre of many disasters to which we respond.” As an example of this complacency, Larson-Miller played a video showing the dire working conditions in mines where cobalt is extracted for use in smartphones.

Larson-Miller also reflected on a recent trip to visit the Swampy Cree in northwestern Manitoba. In a community plagued by suicide, poverty and violence, Larson-Miller was struck by how Indigenous Anglicans responded to these disasters. “I think one of the things that I learned, I’m still processing, is the hope that in all of this, it is God who gives us the ultimate victory over death, over suffering, over tragedies.”

A gospel jamboree, which Larson-Miller described as “not unlike an extended wake,” featuring songs, silence and testimony, is one response used by the Swampy Cree, which is intended to help heal the community. Another is a “Walk to Remember,” a “stational liturgy of mourning” in which sites of violence or suffering are visited. At each place, Scripture and prayers are read and Holy water is used. “Each place is restored, and in each place, evil is banished,” said Larson-Miller.

“Walking and praying and extolling God. It seems like a perfect response—a perfect Christian response—to disaster.”

At the root of all responses, Larson-Miller said, is “our hope in Christ.” All Christian liturgy must point to hope in God, “trust and faith, embedded in the love of God.

“This is not the same as resolving everything into a neat package…we often have trouble leaving things open. But the worship of God is always an acknowledgment of God as God; God with us, in whom we rest.”

May God be with us and walk beside us not only in times of disaster but also every day. 

 

Responding to Disaster part 1

After another deep dive into my files, I discovered this summary I wrote of an address from a few years ago.  It was given by Rev. Dr. Lizette Larson-Miller, Professor of Liturgy at Huron University College.  Larson -Miller was the keynote speaker at 2018 National Anglican and Lutheran Worship Conference.  As the “leader of the free world” has more than two years remaining in his term in the country directly south of us, a term which is defined by disasters, I believe that it is worthwhile offering this today.   I am dividing this into two parts because of its length.  I will share the second part next week. 

After a disaster, Christians fall back on their faith, which Larson-Miller said is the key to offering a response that aims not simply to comfort but to confront those fundamental questions about why disasters happen and how to deal with them. “Rather than beginning with a collection of created rituals,” she said, “we need to start with asking ourselves…what do we know of God?”

During the session, Larson-Miller offered several examples of prayers and litanies that demonstrated a theological depth, including a prayer for a hurricane from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) collection of prayers and a version of the Great Litany from the online Anglican Church of Canada resources (Book of Alternative Services).

“When creating worship rituals, it’s important to know who will be gathering,” said Larson-Miller.  “Not everybody prays with words, especially words printed on a page,” she said. “If you’ve got many languages, they’re not going to be able to read them. If you’ve got kids under the age of five, they’re not going to be able to read them. If you have people who can’t see well, they can’t read them. Not all prayer is verbal.”

In these instances, she suggested, the repetition of a litany may be a helpful tool.

Similarly, Larson-Miller asked attendees to consider the ways in which people outside an immediate church community can be incorporated into the church’s spaces and rituals.

“How is liminal space created so that those who do not ‘go to church’ can enter, to a certain degree?” she asked.  Larson-Miller cited as an example a church in a suburb of Los Angeles, Calif., that has the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia. Inside the church, an area with Armenian icons has been set up in the narthex. “The Armenians will come to the narthex and light candles and pray, but don’t always go all the way in,” said Larson-Miller. In addition to this, the church was gifted a statue of Jesus carrying the cross, which they have installed outside.

The church’s Armenian neighbours, Larson-Miller said, “come with a bucket of water, and they wash Jesus’ face…That image of the suffering Christ is, for them, where the kind of liturgical response to disasters begins. Often it never goes inside the church. It stays there, with the washing of Jesus’ face.”

In addition to considering who is gathering, it is important to consider the purpose of the gathering, she also said. “Is it to lament and to grieve together? Is it to comfort in solidarity? Is it to name what has happened and to who?”

 The purpose may also be to “repent and commit to transformation,” Larson-Miller added, noting that liturgy can lead to a political response. “Another way to ask this question: what is the purpose of the ritual liturgy? Where are we going with this—what is the desired ethical response?”

This is a good place to stop for this edition.  There is much here that is food for deep consideration and pondering. 

 

All this and More - So You Want to be a Parish Priest

I was going through some old files a while ago and came across a document; Ministry Description, Priest/Rector.  This was a job description of what is expected for a parish priest in the Anglican Church which was provided for me when I became a full-time parish priest some years ago. 

There is a very old joke about clergy only having to work an hour once a week i.e. Sundays.  This job description buried that canard.  Here is a summary which, I hope, will give you a general idea of all the things expected of someone who assumes the role of parish priest.  There are ten areas of responsibilities giving a summary of each one.

1.    Pastoral Ministry – pastoral care/visitation of the sick; marriage, baptism and confirmation preparation, pastoral counselling.

2.    Worship – preparation for worship services including sermons, hymn selection, children’s focus, maintain prayer lists, bulletin preparation; lead worship in long term care facilities.

3.    Parish Education – provide for families preparing for baptism, confirmation, funerals; provide seasonal education programs e.g. Lenten and Advent; lead bible study.

4.    Parish Administration – participate in preparation of parish budgets; manage parish office, lead council meetings; chair vestry meetings.

5.    Encourage Lay Leadership – identify, train, equip and commission lay leaders within the parish.

6.    Spiritual Guidance – provide spiritual counselling to individuals and groups,

7.    Ministry Beyond the Parish – involvement in Diocesan meeting and groups; attend Synod (annual Diocesan meeting).

8.    Community Involvement – attend community clergy meetings; lead/participate in ecumenical community services; serve as Legion Chaplain.

9.    Continuing Education – attend clergy conferences; participate in Diocesan clergy days; undertake continuing education.

10.   Spiritual Development – annual retreats; meet with Spiritual Director; maintain regular prayer life; regular study of scripture.

The call to priesthood is sometimes summarized under the categories of priest, pastor and prophet.  However, as you can see for this it involves a lot more than fits into those three categories.  The challenge, as I see it, is that the parish priest is called to be all things for his/her parish.  This is particularly true in small and medium sized parishes where there is only one priest.  It would be an executional person who could do all these things well, or perhaps, even adequately.   

If there are larger parishes which have a clergy team there can be clergy that have strengths in certain areas and other areas can be undertaken by other members of the team.  Most Anglican parishes are small to medium sized in Canada.  This puts the responsibility of all these areas on one person. 

Even Jesus had a group of twelve and more to undertake his ministry.  Perhaps there needs to be a recognition and acknowledgement that one person cannot do all these things well.  As a result, some areas are going to suffer.

The next time you are tempted to criticize your priest/minister, bear in mind he or she is only human and can’t perform miracles.  Praying for them is always a good idea as is seeing where you can assist in the life of a parish/congregation. 

Songs from the Tower

Recently, I have been singing and playing many of the Leonard Cohen songs that are in my repertoire.  This has brought home to me how many of the lines/phrases are truly wonderful and memorable.  Unlike many lyrics by other composers, many of Leonard’s are poetry which stand on their own, and which resonate with me, as I know it does with so many other people.  I thought I would share some of my favourite lyrics with you.

I have just been starting to learn to play Tower of Song.  There are a couple of the lyrics which are on my list:

Well, my friends are gone and my hair is grey
I ache in the places where I used to play
And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on
I'm just paying my rent every day in the Tower of Song

This may not be the best known of Leonard’s lyrics, but it came to mind recently as I was contemplating my stage of life.  Many friends are no longer in my life and my hair is gray – what’s left of it, and I certainly ache in places that I no longer play.  I’m not sure I’m crazy for love thank God and perhaps my rent is overdue in the Tower of Song – where I have spent countless hours of the life.

Another verse for this Tower may surprize those who don’t think a lot of Leonard’s vocal abilities:

I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born with the gift of a golden voice
And twenty-seven angels from the Great Beyond
They tied me to this table right here in the Tower of Song

Yes, Leonard’s singing is an acquired taste – it does grow on you.  On the live performance on his last tour, this verse was met with thunderous approval.  For me his voice is exactly what it should be for his songs.  They go together – hand in glove – a cliché but I don’t know a better description.

Turning to something in a different vein, there is the song Passing Through, which opens with someone watching Jesus on a cross on Calvary:

I saw Jesus on the cross on a hill called Calvary
"Do you hate mankind for what they done to you?"
He said, "Talk of love not hate, things to do, it's getting late
I've so little time and I'm only passin' through."

Leonard was not, as far as I know, a Christian being Jewish and studying Buddhism for many years.  However, he was able to draw on Christianity as a source for his lyrics as he did for so many sources of inspiration.  For me, this sums up the message of Jesus Christ and the meaning of the cross.  We should talk of love and not hate.  It is what the world needs now – love sweet love, to borrow from a song by a different composer.  We are all only passing through and it is getting late.

The next song, Coming Back to You, says a great deal about the challenges of relationships which many people have experienced:

Maybe I'm still hurting
I can't turn the other cheek
But you know that I still love you
It's just that I can't speak
I looked for you in everyone
And they called me on that too
I lived alone but I was only
Coming back to you

The last song I want to reflect on today, has, undoubtedly the most poignant and wise line of all; Leonard’s song, Anthem:

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in

I suspect, without checking with AI, that this is probably the lyric from Leonard that is most quoted.  It says so much about the human condition and the struggle and challenges that people have in becoming more fully human.  These four lines sums it up perfectly.

I could go on delving into the depths of that deep well that Lenord has shared with the world.  I invite you to drink from that well as often as you are willing and able.

Thank you, Leonard, for all your songs from that Tower you inhabited so well.  As he predicted, we are hearing from him long after he has gone to take his place with Hank Wiliams in that Tower of Song. I will give Leonard the last word, as he deserves:

Now I bid you farewell, I don't know when I'll be back
They're moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track
But you'll be hearing from me baby, long after I'm gone
I'll be speaking to you sweetly from a window in the Tower of Song.

 

Out of the Mouths of Babes

This edition might have been a review of the movie Babe, which Lorna and I watched recently.  However, I have been thinking about what children – especially young ones - can give to the world.  This came to mind when I recalled what I have determined was a wise thing I said a long time ago when I was five or six years ago.  I was with my mother in the family car, and we stopped at a store where, I guess she had to pick up a few things – I’m not sure what.  As she left, she said to me, “I will only be a minute.”  I replied without thinking, “is that one of your minutes or one of my minutes?”  I don’t remember what she replied but it did sum up my perspective on what time meant for each of us.  I don’t remember but I think it was closer to one of my minutes than hers – at least that time.

Children – especially little one – see the world in ways that adults have forgotten.  They see aspects of their world with fresh eyes.  One way is that they have a strong sense of fairness.  They know instinctively when things are not fair – or at least don’t seem to be fair from their perspective.  They may not see the larger perspective, but they still have an innate sense that the world should be fair. 

Jesus knew that children can have a way of seeing the world which has been lost by people when they ‘grow up’.  First, they represent how we should reflect the values of the Kingdom of God, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3). 

He realized that children were among those who were often excluded.  People did not realize that we are mistaken when that happens, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:14, and Luke 18:16).  Rather than excluding them, they should be welcomed and received as we would receive Jesus,” "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." (Matthew 18:5). 

Finally, Jesus warns against the mistreatment of children.  It is our duty as individuals and society to protect them, "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea ( Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42, Luke 17:2). 

As is often the case, Jesus reminds us that all are welcome in the Kingdom.  Those excluded by society – those on the margins, as well as children, can reflect more of the Kingdom than those of us who have received their reward in this world.  Remember that Jesus chose to be in this world first as a child – a helpless baby in fact.  That says it all.

Perhaps we should all attempt to reawake our inner child from time to time.  It could get us closer to God’s intention for us.

If You Got it – a Truck Brought It

We have successfully made our annual trek to our cottage in Prince Edward Island.  Travelling by car the 1800 km brought home the paradox of dealing with transport trucks on today's highways.  There were, at various stages of the journey, many trucks which somewhat reluctantly shared the road with us.  The paradox comes in that dealing with trucks while driving a smaller vehicle – that is most vehicles, is not generally a positive experience.  However, trucks and the cargo they carry are essential to the modern economy. 

Reflecting on our experience of sharing the roads with trucks, I mounted the way-back- machine and to my former life when I worked in truckin8 policy for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.  A part of the job was to help educate the public on the value of trucking to our economy.  One of the slogans that was developed by the Ontario Trucking Association to help promote the importance of trucking was, ‘IF You Got it, a Truck Brought it.’  In effect, this statement summarized the reality that the things we use in today’s economy, at some point in its life, are moved by truck.  There may be some very minor variations to this but for the vast majority of things this is the truth.  This was true more than thirty years ago and it is even more so today.

The number of transport trucks that we encountered on our journey east gave a lie to the moribund picture of the Canadian economy which is apparently in ‘a technical recession’.  The number of trucks moving on hwy 401 and the TransCanada hwy was a sign of economic activity.  The goods that they carry could not practically get to their destination any other way.  Most manufacturers and other businesses no longer have rail connection as they once did.  That’s the positive.  However, looking at it from the side of motorists sharing the road with large trucks is not that positive.  Large trucks are not as mobile and maneuverable as cars and similar sized vehicles.   That means they take longer to accelerate and longer to stop – so it is wise to give them some space.  In addition, it can be annoying if a truck attempts to pass another truck which is going slightly slower, it may take a long time to do that manoeuvre while other vehicles are lining up behind the passing truck.  Trucks can also block road signs from the view of motorists – again annoying and requires planning if you are looking for a particular exit on a highway.  If you are really lucky -or rather unlucky – you might get caught in a situation where you are surrounded by large trucks with no way to escape – trucks in front of you; trucks behind you and, yes, trucks beside you in the passing lane. 

There are things that any motorist can do to adjust their driving to accommodate trucks.  The most important thing is to not let your emotions run you when you encounter a truck doing something to get in your way.  They are much larger and will win in any encounter with a car.  Of course, the government needs to do its part to ensure the trucking industry is operating properly within the laws, rules such as hours of service, and other regulations.  There was the recent account in the media about truck driver training schools scamming the system and not training students properly.  We all need to do our part in trying to ensure roads are as safe as possible.

So, the next time you are frustrated by the inconvenience or challenge of sharing the road with a truck, remember the part they play in our economy – if you got it a truck brought it.  Safe travels on your journey.

 

Tongues of Fire

 Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday in our church year.  This is the event when a great sound and light show came upon the early followers of Jesus Christ who had gathered from the known corners of the world.  The Holy Spirit invaded the gathering of those people in Jerusalem and there was a great wind, tongues of fire over their heads, and the local people were speaking in the languages of everyone who had gathered there

When I was trying to discern my call to be ordained, I was in some ways hoping for something as distinct from the Holy Spirit as all the action on the Day of Pentecost.  I was hoping to get a Road to Damascus experience – like the original one in which Paul was knocked off his horse when he received a voice from Jesus asking him why he was persecuting Jesus?  A voice that would have given me a clear message that the road to ordination I was embarking on was the correct one.  Well on reflection, and considering what happened to Paul, I decided that I would prefer a more subtle message after all. 

I received that some time later.  I was in the process of deciding to begin the path to ordination with the diocese and went for an interview with the Dean of Theology, at Huron College, John Chapman as part of that process. 

Well, I had a very positive interview with the Dean, and the indication seemed to be that I was beginning the journey that God intended for me. 

After the interview, I got in my car to drive home and turned on the radio.  A CBC program was on air in which three people were being interviewed about their becoming clergy later in life – second or third careers like me.  I took that as the work of the Holy Spirit - my road to Damascus or road to ordination experience.  Now this could be dismissed as a mere coincidence.  However, Carl Jung has called these experiences of meaningful coincidences, synchronicity.  It certainly was a meaningful coincidence for me I was certain that this was a sign for me as the work of the Holy Spirit and one that has helped sustain on my road to ordination and as a priest since.

So, can we conclude that the Holy Spirit does not always work in such dramatic ways as it did on the Day of Pentecost which we celebrate today?  Let’s look at some other accounts of the Holy Spirit in the bible.  Jesus promises his disciples in John 16:13 that the Spirit will be a guide and “the Spirit would guide them into all the truth.”  In Acts 8: 29, the Holy Spirit instructed Philip to go to the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch, leading to the eunuch's conversion. The Holy Spirit is a teacher - Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the Advocate who will teach His followers all things and bring to their remembrance all that He had said to them.  The Holy Spirit also has the role of sanctifier.  Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians that God chose the believers to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 

The Holy Spirit was there in the beginning when God created the world – a wind from God – the Holy Spirit swept over the face of the water before God said, “Let there be light.”   The Holy Spirit the creative power of God – the empowerer, guide, teacher, and sanctifier. 

As I discovered in my road to ordination experience, the Holy Spirit is not always as easy to discern as on that Day of Pentecost.  However, be assured that it is still at work in us and in the world.  We must play our part in working with God by identifying how the Holy Spirit is at work and responding to that knowledge.  It can be in the still small voice we hear; it can be in our dreams if we pay attention to them; it can be in meaningful coincidences; it can be in the inspiration that gives you the answer that you have been struggling to find for a long time.  It can be in the inspiration we receive from an unexpected encounter in reading the bible as you come to gather in bible study or on our own.  It can be when we come together in the name of Jesus Christ to worship and partake in the body and blood of our Saviour.  Be assured that it is there at work in and for each of us. 

May we be blessed to recognize the Holy Spirit guiding us on our journeys. 

Count Yourself In

Tomorrow, May 12^th, is Census Day in Canada and like other households in Canada we received a census form in the mail a while ago.  It wasn’t a form to fill out, rather it was information about filling out the census form on-line – a first I believe for the census.  The census is done every five years and if memory serves me, we received the census form in the mail which we completed. 

We completed the on-line form which took about 40 minutes.  I’m not sure if we were fortunate enough to receive the long form which goes to about a quarter of households but it included questions on a range of subjects such as income, employment status, education, sexual orientation, homelessness, religion, amount paid for utilities and property taxes, marital status, and other areas that I may have forgotten being a retiree and born in 1949. 

Listening to an interview with a rep from StatsCan this morning on CBC radio, he noted that the completion rate was 98% for past censuses, which makes Canada the envy of other countries.  There are a few people who object to the census as an invasion of privacy.  However, these have been relatively few in past years.  I have a suspicion that this may be larger in these times when conspiracy fears are growing and separation movements with them in Alberta and Quebec.

Having worked with StatsCan data in a past life and worked with staff at StatsCan, I am able to affirm how important the data that is collected in the census and other surveys conducted by StatsCan.  The staff that I worked with were dedicated and hard-working and wanted to produce the best results for the people who utilized the data.  Census information is a valuable resource for academics and planners in many fields and is an invaluable resource for the country.  I would encourage everyone who has not yet filled out their census form to do so.  If you aren’t willing or able to do it on-line, it can be done the old-fashioned way. 

Censuses are not something new and have been around for a very long time.  Indeed, there is mention of censuses in the bible.  The book of numbers recounts a census taken by the Israelites in the exodus from slavery in Egypt.  God commands Moses to take a census of the Israelite community in the wilderness of Sinai. "Take a census of the whole congregation of Israel by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one."  This information was valuable in planning by Moses and other leaders for battles with tribes they encountered before and after entry into the Promised Land.  

King David also undertook a census of his kingdom.  It was a census of the troops available to him.  However, as was often the case with David, his actions often did not please God as, unlike in the Exodus, God had not commanded the census to be undertaken.  God saw this as an act of pride by David. 

Finally, we have the census that most Christians are aware of, being part of the Christmas story.  This was the first census to take place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.  This census is significant as it fulfilled the prophecy of the Messiah's birth in Bethlehem according to the Gospel of Luke.  This has been problematic for the accuracy of the birth narrative, as there is no historic record of a census at that time.  But that is an issue for another time.

There was a saying when I was involved in planning and utilizing data, you can’t make good decisions without good data.   That may not always be true, but it certainly helps.  Fortunately, the census data has been a good and valuable resource for Canada to use.  If you haven’t yet completed it, please do your part and complete the census and count yourself in as a household in Canada.     

All Shall Be Well

Julian of Norwich, an anchorite and mystic who lived in the fourteenth century, is famous for having said, “all shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well,”.  That saying came to mind when I read a comment on Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation drawing on a quote from another English writer of a later time, G. K. Chesterton:

G. K. Chesterton’s comment, in his wonderful economic critique, The Outline of Sanity, which takes aim at industrial capitalism’s takeover of small shops and farms: “Do anything, however small, that will prevent the completion of the work of capitalist combination. Do anything that will even delay that completion. Save one shop out of a hundred shops…. Keep open one door out of a hundred doors; for so long as one door is open, we are not in prison. Ahab has not his kingdom so long as Naboth has his vineyard [1 Kings 21]. Haman will not be happy in the palace while Mordecai is sitting in the gate.” [Esther 5:9–13]

 

Chesterton was prescient on the inexorable march today of capitalism overwhelming the small, independent business.  All that is small and individual is being consumed by the industrial complex.  This is happening when even large companies are taken over by gigantic ones.  I heard recently that independent veterinary services are being bought out by chains.  Fortunately, this hasn’t happened to our wonderful vet, but it doesn’t bode well for the future.   

I sound rather more left-wing ideological here than usual, however, anyone who has had to deal with a mega conglomerate e.g. Bell or Visa will know that bigger is often not better.  Amazon is devouring its share of the world as the conglomerates divide up the world into bit sized chunks until they are in turn taken over by its neighbour conglomerate.  I think of the revelation about Ticket Master which had a near monopoly on tickets for live performances.  There was a recent court case in the United States with the judgement that Live Nation, the entertainment giant which owns Ticketmaster, has been illegally operating as a monopoly and overcharging fans.  Live Nation was previously allowed by the U.S. government to merge with Ticketmaster to consolidate the control of concert venues (Live Nation) and the ticketing platform (Ticketmaster).  This gives us some hope that it is still possible to provide limits on the trend towards commercial megalomania.   

To draw on another inspired source, W.B. Yates, who knows “what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”  It is very easy to believe that the march of rough beasts is inevitable and all we can do is keep our heads down and try to survive.  However, to live in hope, inspired by St. Julian, can and does give us a way forward. 

May we be blessed to believe that all manner of things will truly be well.  

Are We Like Sheep

Yesterday was Good Shepherd Sunday in our church calendar.  The readings, including the 23^rd psalm – you know the one the begins, the Lord is my shepherd, were all about Jesus as the good shepherd.  That left us – the people who follow him - to be the sheep.  Not that complementary when you think about it.  However, there are lots about that analogy that is true. 

What comes to mind in this vein, is the quote from Isaiah 53:6, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray.”  Actually, it comes into my head – or my ear – as the line from Handel’s Messiah which states emphatically and in great music, “All we like sheep.”   Here’s a link to a version on You tube if you would like to sing along, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOaSa78_NM0.

In our weekly bible study last week, in preparation for Sunday worship, one of the participants asked a very good question.  He noted that since Jesus used, as he often did in his parables, the  common things in his society – sheep being something that was very important to people in his day, rather than sheep, what would he use if he was speaking and teaching today?  The thought came to me that he would probably use algorithms which will often lead us down rabbit holes to dark places if we follow them.  Most everyone who spends time on social media, has the experience of being fed suggestions which would lead us down – shall we say to interesting, if not dangerous places.

In the Gospel reading from John 10, Jesus tells us that the sheep – that’s us – “will not follow a stranger, but they run away from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.”  That may be true of sheep, but it is not true of us today.  We have, I think, forgotten what the Good Shepherd’s voice sounds like. With all the noise and distractions on social media today, it is very easy to mistake the voices out there as the voice of the Good Shepherd. 

So how do we know that a voice we hear is the voice we should be listening to?  Well, the simple way is to pay attention to what it is saying.  Is it giving us a message of love or is it giving us a message of something else such as envy, or lust, or hate.  As Bob Dylan sang, “Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, But you’re going to have to serve somebody.”

So, I guess it is up to us to decide who’s voice we are going to listen to.  Remember that the next time we are tempted to listen to the myriads of voices on social media or elsewhere.  May we be blessed to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd beneath the tumult.

The Toad Prince

Last week, I noticed a toad in the window well of one of the basement windows.  This happens occasionally and it often gives our cat Trixie endless entertainment watching it until Lorna rescues it – the toad that is.  Well, Lorna rescued this one and set it free from the bottom of the (window) well and all was well for it.  Trixie missed all the excitement this time.

This incident brought to mind the Fairy Tale of the Frog Prince.  As a reminder, the original tale involved a beautiful, spoiled princess who loses her favourite possession, a golden ball, in a well.  She is devastated by the loss, and a frog inquires why she is crying.  Upon hearing of her plight, the frog agrees to retrieve it from the bottom of the well if the princess will agree to inviting the frog into the castle and treat her as one of the family. 

She does this at the insistence of her father, the king, who impresses on her the importance of princesses keeping their word.  Although unstated, this would appear to be out of character for the way the princess was raised, as she was a rather spoiled princess and used to getting everything she wanted.

In any case, at the king’s insistence the frog is treated as one of the family and eats at the table with the family and even shares the princess’s bedroom.  However, the frog, not to be denied, demands that he share the princess’s bed (symbolism running wide here).  This is too much for the princess and in a rage, she throws the frog against the wall.  This breaks the curse the frog has been under, and he turns back to his true form – a handsome prince.  Well, as readers of fairy tales know, this fairy tale ends with the princess marrying the prince and they live happily ever after.  In the better-known version, thanks to the Disnified version, the frog is transformed by the princess’s kiss.  However, I like the original version in which the frog is thrown against the wall by the spoiled princess. 

Now I know that our little tale of an amphibian at the bottom of a (window) well involved a toad and not a frog.  It also didn’t involve the toad rescuing a princess.  Rather it was rescued by the beautiful maiden.  However, it could have been the making of a good fairy tale.  After all, a toad has many similarities to frogs so why not having a toad turning into a handsome prince of Wall Street i.e. the tale of the Toad Prince and granting Lorna (and me) our hearts’ desires.  O well, at least Lorna’s good deed was unpunished – so far.

By the way, both frogs and toads are symbols of transformation, spiritual growth and creativity.  They undergo almost magical metamorphosis in their life cycles even without being cursed.

Ponder that the next time you encounter a frog or a toad.  It may be a blessing for you.

 

Give Peace a Chance

The recent “little incursion” by the United States and Israel into Iran has brought into focus the sharp contrast between the might-makes-right approach to international relations and the hope that peace will reign in the world.  This is a war by any definition.  However, President Trump and his minions are reluctant to use that word as only the United States Congress has the right to declare war – which it has not done in this case.

In his approach to the “little incursion”, Trump has waffled on what his objective or objectives are in launching the American attack on Iran.  It seems to me that the bottom line for Trump developed into a “kill them all and let God sort it out” approach to the Iranian people.  This developed as Trump became more and more frustrated with the stubbornness of the Iranian regime to admit defeat and continue to resist despite the defeat of the Iranian military.   Surprizingly, Trump was not prepared for Iran to take control of the Strait of Hormuz and block the shipment of oil which has led to sharp increases in the world price of oil and the price of gas at the pumps.  In his frustration, Trump declared that if the Strait was not opened within one of his many deadlines, “the whole (Iranian) civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”  This statement amounts to an intention to commit genocide and has been condemned generally as such, even though, thank God, he did not carry through with his threat.

This should be condemned by every civilized person.  However, what brings this into a Christian focus is that Trump and his band of not so merry minions have put this “little conflict” into a Christian perspective as shown in Trump’s social media post:

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!” - President DONALD J. TRUMP pic.twitter.com/cVb7leFmAv

Similarly, Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense who accurately renamed himself the Secretary of War, at a Pentagon church service held weeks after the Iran war began, prayed a prayer that called for violence against military enemies:

Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”

Apparently, both Trump and Hegseth, who call themselves Christians, have missed the principle commandment of the founder of Christianity, to love your neighbour even if your neighbour is your enemy. 

In opposition to this approach to Christianity, Pope Leo XIV clarifies where Trump, Hegseth et al have gone astray:

God does not bless any conflict.  Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”

In considering the conflict, it is problematic as the Iranian government does not deserve any consideration.  It is a regime that should be replaced as it is a supporter and instigator of terrorism and is responsible for much of the conflict in that region of the world.  However, the Iranian people deserve to be treated with Christian compassion and concern.  In this time of increasing international conflict and threats, how are we Christians to approach the increasing militarization of international relations?  Can we support and approve of recent move by the Carney Government to meet the elusive target of 2% GPD spending on our military?  I must confess that I support this move and am not ready to turn the other cheek if Russian or Chinese forces were to land on our northern shores or anywhere else in the true north strong and free.   

In clarifying a Christian position in all this, it might be helpful to turn to the Just War Doctrine.  Here is a summary of this from Wikipedia:

The just war doctrine of the Catholic Church found in the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraph 2309, lists four strict conditions for "legitimate defense by military force:"^[65][66]

·         The damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave and certain.

·         All other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective.

·         There must be serious prospects of success.

·         The use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated.

Above all, we can pray for peace in the world and do whatever we can to work for peace in our time and in the time to come.