Meditation on the Cross

In my recent archeological excavation of my office, I discovered a rather ornate cross which is pictured below, thanks to the photography of Lorna:  

 

I am not exactly sure how this came into my possession.  It may have been when attending a Diocesan event such as one of the Synods (annual meeting of the Diocese). 

It is rather pretty in a somewhat gaudy way and it is a modern version, being in plastic, of an ancient symbol.  I must admit that I have not paid much attention to it since it came into my possession.  However, it did cause me to think of the process of meditation on the cross.  The cross is a universal symbol which contains a great deal of meaning for many people – even those who are not Christian.  Psychologically it can be symbolic of the intersection of the horizontal and vertical in our lives.  Intersections and crossroads can mean that there are options and decisions have to be made as to which road to travel.  You might reflect on the ‘road not taken’ as Robert Frost did in his poem or the ‘road less travelled’ as Scott Peck did in his book. 

For Christians, the cross represents the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Roman instrument of torture and execution, and the forgiveness of sins that was made possible by Jesus’ forgiving those who crucified him.  However, this cross is not a crucifix – it is the empty cross from which Jesus was taken down, which leads to many more possible meanings.  I discovered something about this cross, which I may have known about when I received it but had forgotten, it is a kaleidoscope.  You can look into it – there is a viewer at the bottom and you will see a multifaceted vision of reality.  The arms of the cross turn and what you are seeing changes.  I am not able to give you a picture of this, but I found one on the internet which will give you an idea.

This leads to the possibility that meditation on the cross can lead to different perspective on what you see and how you see the world – the world around you and the larger world.  It enables you to get different perspectives as you turn the cross arms.  It enables you to see things which you otherwise are not able to see.  You can also be reminded that a bystander, Simon of Cyrene, was forced to carry the cross to the place of execution as Jesus was physically unable to carry it due to the treatment by the Roman authorities.  As Christian we are called to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. 

I will close with a meditation on the cross by -Br. Luke Ditewig of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist:

Look at the cross, and pray with Jesus. Pray both trouble and trust. Death and evil are conquered. Jesus reigns, reaching, hearing, and holding all. On the cross Jesus bears the weight of the world. Hold yourself in a hug, trusting that Jesus has us all in his hands.

May you be blessed to be aided by others to carry your cross and know that Jesus will be with you on your journey.

 

Who’s Actually in Control?

Many years ago, in a former life, I attended a workshop as part of my then work as a civil servant.  I don’t remember the purpose of the workshop.  However, I do remember that the leader/facilitator asked the participants if they believed they were, for the most part, in control of their lives.  Most people put up their hands; however, I didn’t.

Looking back, I am not sure why I thought that at the time.  It could have been that many of the major events in my life growing up were beyond my control to a great extent.  My first real job was not one I had sought. I had lived in a number of different places growing up which were definitely beyond my control – that would be seven by my count.  Well, that understanding of control was certainly verified by recent events in my life.  If I had any illusions about being in control they were shattered in September.

I think T.S. Elliot had it wrong when he proposed that April was the cruelest month.  I would nominate September for that dubious honour.  September started out just fine being usually the nicest month for weather at our cottage in P.E.I.   That ended quite quickly when we had car problems.  Actually, the problem didn’t become evident right away.  Lorna and I were sitting in the car – a Volkswagen - in the parking lot of the supermarket in Souris when there was a loud bang in the back end of the car.  We were curious but there wasn’t anything obvious wrong.  We drove away cautiously back to the cottage with no apparent problem, However, after some cogitation and consultation, I decided to have it checked out at the dealer in Charlottetown.  I was advised that the issue was a coil spring as suspected but the bad news – not sure there was any good news – that the parts were on back order and they weren’t sure when they would arrive.  Consequently, I drove back to the cottage very nervously and cautiously but made it safely giving thanks to luck or perhaps God.

This led to a search for a replacement vehicle as we needed transportation back to Ford country (Ontario) in a few weeks which apparently could not be guaranteed by the dealer.  Lorna got into her sleuthing mode and tried to find a possible replacement.  I started to investigate spring problems with Volkswagens.   I discovered that there were problems with defective springs but my car had not been recalled.  On further investigation, I found that Transport Canada had recalled my model and year of vehicle but mine was not included due to an error.  This didn’t make any difference with VW Canada which didn’t cut any mustard with me.

While this was going on, Lorna wasn’t having much luck finding available vehicles – new or used - which would meet our needs i.e., space to transport our belongings and the head of the family – Trixie the cat.  Fortunately, she eventually found one and to make a long story a little less long, we ended up with a new Nissan -more than we were looking for but more than we could ask or imagine – and very thankful it was available.  This was only because the financing fell through on the original purchase.  You may be aware that there is a shortage of vehicles available on car lots these days because of supply chain issues and various things I don’t fully understand such as inflation and the war in Ukraine.  In any case, we were very thankful to have dependable transportation which enabled us to get back to our Ontario home safe and sound.  We were very fortunate to have the loan of a vehicle from a neighbour to do our exploration of the few vehicles available. 

However, that is not the end of the story about September events.  Almost immediately after solving our transportation challenges, we were dealt another challenge in the form of Hurricane Fiona.  We were able to prepare in some ways, such as stocking up on some food and water, but were without power and therefore water being on a well, for five days which stretched the limits of our preparation.  We escaped the fury of Fiona with no damage to ourselves or our buildings property and dealt with the one tree on the bunkie with the help of neighbours – no damage thankfully.  We were provided assistance at the warming centre in Souris and all was well.

In all this we fared much better than others, for no apparent reason, in ways that were beyond our control for the most part.  I’m not sure if there is a reason why we were so fortunate but perhaps it comes down to good luck or fortune smiling on us for no apparent reason.  In all this, I do know that I was not in control of much that happened.  I am not sure if anything was in control – whether fate or fortune.   My theology doesn’t hold that God was pulling the strings and making things happen.  However, I do believe that God played a role in the help we received from others.  And I do know that in all this God was with me and supporting me in whatever fate or life brings me. 

May you be blessed to know the support of God on your journey 

Give Thanks In All Things

 Yesterday was the Canadian Thanksgiving.  When I think of thanksgiving I think of the phrase ‘give thanks in all things.’  With all that is going on in this world it is not possible or right to give thanks for all things which is sometimes promoted as the Christian approach.    Can the Ukrainians give thanks for what Russia is doing to their country and citizens?  Of course not.  Can the people of Pakistan give thanks for the flood waters that have engulfed their land?  No indeed.  Can the residents of Prince Edward Island give thanks for the devastation that Hurricane Fiona has left behind or the residents of Florida for the devastation and destruction of Ian?  Certainly not.  But there are things to give thanks for in all that.  I am thankful that Lorna and I were relatively untouched by the ravages of Fiona and have made it back to our other home in Parkhill which we found in good shape.  I am thankful that there are first responders and people of good will to help those in need and that we had good neighbours to provide assistance when we needed it. 

To give thanks for blessings in the midst of heartbreak and disaster does not mean that I thank God that I was blessed to be protected in these difficult times.  I do not deserve to receive a blessing any more than the many people who had their lives turned upside down by the forces of nature or circumstance.  To believe that God gives a blessing to some and not others is, to my understanding, a mistaken belief in how God works.  God is not there pulling the strings in our lives like we are puppets.  Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people.  We cannot know why this happens.  We can and do understand that there are consequences for our actions as human beings who have been blessed to have free will.  Sometimes the consequences are determined by the actions of ourselves and others.  We have ‘hundred-year storms’ every five years because we have abused and neglected the world that God created and gave to us to be stewards of.  We may experience challenges and problems in our lives because of how we have lived and what we have done.  If we abuse our bodies and neglect our spiritual life we may suffer some consequences as a result – smoking does lead to cancer for some depending on many factors such as the genes we have inherited.  Other people may smoke a pack-a-day all their lives and live to a ripe old age.  It seems to be the luck of the draw. 

However, regardless of the deck that we have been dealt, we can be assured that God is with us whatever happens and that is something devoutly to give thanks for.   

So, remember on your journey to give thanks to God in all things.  

Proof and Faith

One of my summer activities has been to listen to a wonderful series of lectures by Canadian icon Northrop Frye, literary critic who delved so deeply in the bible with his seminal work The Great Code.  The lectures entitled The Bible and Literature at the University of Toronto are available on-line at https://heritage.utoronto.ca/content/video/bible-and-english-literature-northrop-frye-full-lecture-1.

One of the statements by Frye in lecture 9, which caught my attention and made me sit up and take special note, was his assertion that “the more trustworthy the evidence, the more misleading it is.”  Frye was asserting this in relation to proof and the desire that people – at least some people - have, to find hard evidence of the events and accounts which are contained in the bible.  One example is the craze some years ago following supposed discover of the remains of Noah’s Arc on Mt. Ararat.  Then there was the case of the ossuary (vessel) that was purported to hold the bones of James, the brother of Jesus.  Especially notable is the Shroud of Turin which is held to be the burial cloth which was used to wrap Jesus’ body after the crucifix.   People seem to want and even need physical proof to affirm their beliefs that are the foundation of their faith.

I must confess that I have had this desire at times for proof and I was particularly taken with the Shroud of Turin years ago when it was first in the popular press.  It is, perhaps, human nature to desire proof of what is presented to us as reality, especially these days when there is so much in the news and on social media that needs to be questioned.  So, when Frye made the statement that the more trustworthy the evidence the more misleading it was, it didn’t make logical sense to me.

However. I was very pleased and relieved that he clarified this statement later in the lecture.  Here is the clarification from the transcript:

The point that I want to return to when we come to the Book of Job is that no serious religion ever tries to answer anybody's questions, because in any serious or existential matter the progress in understanding is a progress through a sequence of formulating better questions. An authoritative answer blocks off progress; it blocks off all advance. The answer consolidates the assumptions in the question, and brings the process to a dead stop. That is what I mean when I say that the more trustworthy the evidence, the more misleading it is. Trustworthy evidence means a kind of authority that stops you from asking any more questions.

This is the sign of a good teacher who does not want to close off the human desire to explore possibilities and enable the student to discover what is revealed which will lead to further discoveries.  This was the message in the account of the disciple Thomas who demanded proof that Jesus had been raised from the dead.   Jesus answered him and us, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  This is essential when it comes to ultimate truths life and the world.  If we look at the belief in God from what is called the God of the gaps in which our faith is based on what science can’t explain – at least at this point.  As the result of scientific discoveries, we have to adjust our belief in God and what God is doing in the world based on what science can now explain.  However, the discoveries of science do not close off our exploration of how God has created and continues to create life and how God is calling us to be the people God created us to be.  Those questions just lead to more questions and I do not believe that science will ever provide the definitive answer or answers in the realm in which God is working.  It is love through which God created and continues to create.  Love will never be weighed or measured or put under the most powerful electron microscope.

May you be blessed to continue to formulate questions le seek better answers that will lead to yet more questions on your journey.  

  

In Sure and Certain Hope part 2

Today, I will attempt to summarize the document In Sure and Certain Hope issued by the Anglican Church in 2016.  It is an update of the 1998 Statement on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, Care in Dying.  The 2016 paper is intended as a, “Resources to Assist Pastoral and Theological Approaches to Physician Assisted Dying.”   These two documents provide, I believe, a good perspective on this very complex and challenging issue for Christians. 

The document begins with the affirmation that all people are created in the image of God and as such have inalienable dignity and should be treated in ways that reflect this:

Theologically we continue to assert that human persons, being in the image of God, are the bearers of an inalienable dignity that calls us to treat each person not merely with respect, but with love, care, and compassion. This calling, being a reflection of God’s free grace, is in no way qualified by the circumstances that an individual may face, no matter how tragic.

Consequently, this places a duty on society to care for people who require help in appropriate ways:

We need to pay attention to how we are to sustain communities of care around patients, respecting the decisions of, and exercising the best possible care first for the patient and then also with care for the immediate supportive community. In this context the church needs neither to surrender its basic principles and insights nor propound them in a way that simply isolates the church from the theologically essential task of empowering individuals caught up in these situations to make sense of their own lives, their hopes and fears, their pain and distress.

The document provides framework for appropriate support which reflects this understanding:

a framework for effective pastoral support for all concerned (patients, family, loved ones, care providers, and wider communities of support), whatever decisions particular patients ultimately believe themselves called to make.

Below are experts from the report which, I hope summarizes key points.  The report is extensive so it is, of necessity longer than usual. 

Suffering

 The report acknowledged that suffering might be meaningful. However, it also noted that suffering might be devoid of redemptive value in and of itself.

Life as Gift

Already in the case of the withdrawal of treatment we recognize that life is not an end in itself, and that the approach of death need not be resisted by all available means.

 

Care and Community

Understandings of care, and how those understandings shape and express community, lay at the heart of the reflections in Care in Dying. Indeed, the trajectory of that document was in many ways set by the way it answered the question of what constitutes care. In seeking to answer the question of whether a decision to participate in the ending of life could be construed as an act of care, the study was in some ways quite tentative.

Vulnerability and Justice

In the area of physician assisted dying there are still reasons to be concerned about the impact of this change on those in our society who are most vulnerable…for the churches it is important that we continue to express concern for those who might be adversely affected. This is not simply a slippery slope argument. It is rather based in the complexity of how constitutional protections work and the experience of other jurisdictions where the initially narrow grounds for physician assisted dying became widened out of legitimate concern that some who might benefit were excluded under the initial definitions.

In our society dignity is most commonly linked to the capacity to be the author of one’s own destiny. However, this is linked with understandings of human individuality and freedom that are difficult to maintain.

Perhaps the key point, however, is that the language of dignity is supposed to remind us that in decisions about the life of a person it is that person’s life, inherent worth (however that is ascribed), values, hopes, aspirations, story, etc. that drive the decision-making process and not the imposition of interpretive frameworks from without, the imposition of what Zizak and Brueggemann would call ideology

To uphold the intrinsic worth of the human person is to protect the very vulnerable members of society—those who have (or appear to have) little if any extrinsic value, because they do not have the capacity for full authorship or autonomy, and are not able to have the same sorts of relationships that more “productive” members of society have. This value challenges the linkage of dignity and worth with autonomy and ability to be in control of all aspects of one’s life.

Conscience

It will surprise some people that the principle that the conscience must always be followed (conscientia semper sequenda) is a key element of Catholic moral theology that has continued if not with greater importance in the churches of the reformation. The role of conscience grants to the individual believer the responsibility to be the author of his or her own decisions.

Hope

As Christians we are called to lives shaped by hope. Hope involves the commitment that, whatever our circumstances, God is at work for our good (Ro 8:28 c.f. Mat7:11). It stands opposed to despair. At the same time hope is not to be confused with a passivity that is unresponsive to our circumstances. Hope requires that we cooperate with God in the purposes that God is working out in our lives.

Providing Alternatives

While it is now clear that the provision of such alternatives cannot function as a bar to patients making decisions to seek assistance to end their lives we remain of the view that this change will not reflect the intended affirmation of the dignity of patients unless there are genuine alternatives amongst which they can discern real and significant choices.

Palliative Care

Although often thought to be synonymous with “terminal” or “compassionate” care, palliative care is not confined solely to situations in which curative therapies are no longer possible or desired. Rather, the focus is on relief of distressing symptoms and maintenance or improvement of the quality of life of the sufferer regardless of the prognosis or projected duration of the illness.

Pastoral Care

What matters is that for many, the premium challenge of end-of-life is to continue to experience meaning, purpose and control over one’s life.

This presents our church, and those who care for the ill, with two fundamental challenges. First: pastoral care-providers must discern honestly through prayer and consultation their personal views and values and how they affect their capacity to support patients in decision-making in relation to end-of-life and assisted dying.

Second: pastoral caregivers must assess the strengths and limitations of available resources that can, or cannot, support the parishioner who seeks assistance with dying

Pastoral Care and the ministry of presence

Being present to another requires the sacred ability to listen, to speak and to touch. It is within the sacred conversation of being present that one can sometimes discern most clearly the needs, questions and desires of the other.

 

I acknowledge that we are on Turtle Island, the original homelands of the many Indigenous Nations who have lived since time immemorial in Canada or as many First and other Indigenous Nations
All of the lands in Canada are the subject of up to one hundred Treaties signed by the Crown in the right of Canada with these Nations.  I will only mention a few of the Nations: the Cree, Ojibway, Blackfoot, Blood, Dakota, Mig M'ag, Huron, Inuit and these lands are also home to the Metis people.

 

In Sure and Certain Hope

Recently, I received an email which brought to the recipients' attention that a veteran had been offered the option of medically assistance in dying when he reached out to Veterans Affairs Canada for assistance.  The email expressed shock and condemnation that such action would be offered in place of “LIFE-affirming care that everyone deserves.”  The email implied that this was government policy which promoted this option rather than other options.  After reading the CBC report that raised the issue, apparently this was a one-time circumstance that was a result of lack of training on the part of the person responding to the request.  However, there is also a concern regarding insufficient mental health care being provided to families of veterans.

I certainly share the concern expressed in the email that veterans and their families should receive the Life-affirming care that they especially deserve given their service and sacrifice to the country.  And I sincerely hope that this was indeed a one-time occurrence based on insufficient training which can happen in the best run organizations and not an unofficial policy to address limited resources which does happen in government departments at times.  This raised the issue for me of what the position was of the Anglican Church of Canada on medically assistance in dying.  Well, as it happened, the September edition of the Anglican Journal had an article on the issue and linked to a paper issued by the Anglican Church in 2016, In Sure and Certain Hope which is intended as a, “Resources to Assist Pastoral and Theological Approaches to Physician Assisted Dying.”  This report is a review of a report, Care in Dying, which was commissioned by the Anglican Church in 1998.  Sorry for the somewhat convoluted introduction but as they say, “The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.”   

Next week, I will attempt to summarize the document In Sure and Certain Hope which provides, I believe, a good perspective on this very complex and vexing issue for Christians.

Blessings this day on your journey. 

 

I acknowledge that we are on Turtle Island, the original homelands of the many Indigenous Nations who have lived since time immemorial in Canada or as many First and other Indigenous Nations
All of the lands in Canada are the subject of up to one hundred Treaties signed by the Crown in the right of Canada with these Nations.  I will only mention a few of the Nations: the Cree, Ojibway, Blackfoot, Blood, Dakota, Mig M'ag, Huron, Inuit and these lands are also home to the Metis people.

 

 

 

Being in the Weeds

This morning, I tackled the weeds in the Labyrinth at our cottage.  The weeds seem to be taking over this year and every time I turn my back there are more of them.  You have to wonder why Mother Nature makes weeds such hardy plants that seem to thrive in even the harshest conditions?  In any case, I rather enjoy whacking them with my whipper snipper – it is satisfying work. 

That experience brought to mind a parable of the wheat and the weeds in the Gospel of Matthew which can be found here if you want to refresh your memory, https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=527923442.

In the parable, Jesus tells of a field which has been sown with good seeds – wheat.  In the night, these things seem to often happen at night, the enemy comes and sows weeds among the wheat.  The owner of the field – the master – decides to not have the weeds pulled up by his ‘slaves’.  I wonder how many gardeners would like to have someone to do the weeds pulling?  In any case, he declines the suggestion of the slave to pull the weeds because the wheat might also be pulled up in the process.  Now, I can certainly relate to that because Lorna does not trust me to weed her garden because I would most likely pull up some of the good plants as well.  Sometimes ignorance is bliss or at least a good excuse to avoid things.

So, what do we make of the parable about not pulling up the weeds because some good plants will be pulled with them?  This could make a radical approach to gardening.  However, I don’t think that was what Jesus had in mind – at least not literally.  A parable by its nature, wants to surprize and encourage the listener or reader to approach a situation in a fresh way.  Let’s consider the wheat and weeds as an aspect of ourselves, after all, Jesus was concerned about the souls of the people he came into contact with.  If the weeds are aspects of ourselves that we don’t like or those things in us that are not acceptable, the natural reaction is to pull them up and get rid of them.  As with weeds, however, every gardener knows they aren’t really gone – they will return and they seem to thrive under every and any condition. 

The human equivalent of trying to pull up the weeds – unwanted aspects of ourselves, will not get rid of them.  Those flaws and faults we know are in us will not be gone if we try and pull them up.  This is actually trying to deny them and push them out of conscious awareness.  So, what is the alternative?  What does it mean to let them grow along with the wheat?  Well, it means that we have to stop striving for perfection.  I have struggled with the idea of trying to be perfect.  Christians have been told implicitly and explicitly that we are to be perfect - it says so in the bible in the Gospel of Matthew (5: 48).  This is traditionally translated as ‘Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect’.   However, an alternate translation is ‘Be all-embracing, as your heavenly Father is all-embracing.” 

When we strive for perfection, any imperfection is unacceptable and therefore something that we have to deny in ourselves.  We have to attempt to pull up the weeds and get rid of them.  We have to acknowledge them and realize they are part of us and once we do that, we can realize that God knows us better than we know ourselves and despite this God loves us.  Does that mean that we just accept our faults and whatever they are we say its okay and let it rip?  No, we need to acknowledge our faults and weaknesses and learn to love ourselves and to love our neighbours.  Richard Rohr address just this point:

To accept this teaching doesn’t mean we can say, “It’s okay to be selfish, violent, and evil.” It simply means that we have some realism about ourselves and each other. We have to name the weed as a weed. We can’t just pretend it’s all wheat, all good, because it isn’t. We’re not perfect. Our countries are not perfect. The Church is not perfect. The project of learning how to love—which is our only life project—is quite simply learning to accept this.

Be blessed on your journey to acknowledge the weeds in yourself and others.  

I acknowledge that we are on Turtle Island, the original homelands of the many Indigenous Nations who have lived since time immemorial in Canada or as many First and other Indigenous Nations
All of the lands in Canada are the subject of up to one hundred Treaties signed by the Crown in the right of Canada with these Nations.

I will only mention a few of the Nations: the Cree, Ojibway, Blackfoot, Blood, Dakota, Mig M'ag, Huron, Inuit and these lands are also home to the Metis people.