Colleagues List, June 9th, 2019

Vol. XIV No. 45

GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE

Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address: waholst@telus.net

This email is sent only to a voluntary subscriber list.

If you no longer wish to receive these weekly columns,

write to me personally - waholst@telus.net

***** 
 Dear Friends:

My Special Item this week focuses on some of the personal
discovery goals I developed for myself before our departure
to East Europe and Russia. I see my post-trip assessment
as a work in progress. Time and reflection helps to mature
my thinking.

Other items in this mailing will hopefully help you to keep
abreast of events and ideas in the world of religion and culture.

Welcome!

Wayne

*****

SPECIAL ITEM

ST. DAVIDS SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS --
A REFLECTION ON MY PERSONAL TRIP GOALS
FROM A VISIT TO EAST EUROPE AND RUSSIA, 2019

INTRODUCTION

We are not merely tourists, although we are that!

We want to take an inclusive, spiritual approach to the
people and places we visit. We will appreciate and
learn from the seven countries we have visited.

We encoutered Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, the
Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and finally,
Russia.

Until the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, all but
Austria were part of the Soviet Bloc.

It was interesting to see how all of these nations
have evolved from the place of stereotypes we have
held, into the modern nations they are today.

Most of the countries we saw have a rich history of
high cultural endeavour - in art, music, dance, and
there is also much to be learned from the common
folk arts of the people.

The two major religious traditions we encountered
were the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox. Both,
as well as Protestantism, have a long history.

Another religious phenomenon is that of Judaism.
Most of the countries we visited had large Jewish
populations living there for centuries. The Holocaust
and other anti-Semitic movements have plagued this
entire region. We wanted to understand that story.

Our spiritual travel encompassed history, culture,
religion and beyond. We encountered spirituality
in many forms and believe we understand it better.

--

SOME PERSONALTRAVEL HOPES

1. Begin to develop a sense of what people are thinking

    in these post-communist, post-atheist societies

Through numerous tour guides and others we met -
both general and local - we gained many insights about
the post-USSR societies we visited. Even some of our
bus drivers were most helpful. This region has suffered
much over the last century from both the Nazis and the
Communists. They are truly worthy of our pride and
respect for being profoundly resilient people. They have
much to teach us about the capacity of the human spirit.

2. Develop an understanding of Canadian heritage; --
    discovering people and places from which many of
    our ancestors came.

It was helpful to hear many of our own tour group speak
of how their families came to Canada from places we
visited and have now become firmly established, contributing
members of Canadian society. This reality gives the lie to
those in our time who have a negative attitude to immigrants
and refugees. Indeed, most of our forbearers came to Canada
with great hopes for success in a new, welcoming land. It was
also good to see the progress many of the "old countries"
have been making after World War II and the fall of communism.

3. Participate in exciting group learning with people of
    various backgrounds and professions.

We have all been greatly enriched by our shared learning 
on this trip. Many tour members contributed to our group
learning. Some were invited to speak - for example - after
we visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa (the
Black Madonna) which is the Spiritual Centre of Poland.
Catholics in our group helped us to understand what it
was like for them to visit this place. Another tour member
explained, from his professional background, the geological
similarities and differences of Alberta with the terrain we
were encountering en route.

4. What can we bring back home as people of faith
     and hope for humanity?

We have again this time been enriched by our discoveries
about people and places. In spite of turmoil and violence
in the world, we saw ample evidence of renewal after much
suffering and loss - as well as recovered confidence and
belief in the human potential for goodness and hope for
our future - as people seeking to grow closer together.
We saw this, for example, during our visits to Auschwitz
and Moscow -- two places we in the West have reacted to 
with despair and suspicion. Good can emerge from great 
evil, and peace after deep resentment.

5. We grow as a global community and members of an
    ever-expanding world citizenship.

When we think about what a gift this trip has been, we
naturally want to share what we have discovered with
others. We are grateful that even though this venture
might have been prohibitive to our Canadian ancestors,
we had the resources and live in an era of peace in the
world when a pilgrimage like this was possible.

CONCLUSION

Most of us would love to travel again. A trip like this takes
much planning and many resources - material and personal.
Who knows where our next journey will take us? We are
grateful for the opportunity, and the support that came even
from those who were unable to travel with us this time

- Wayne Holst
 
*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

 

Provided by colleague Jock McTavish

Greta Thunberg, Sweden
Speaking to an EU Meeting
April 16th, 2019

"I Want You to Panic"
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKd1V2NgAi4

--

Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC

Personal Weblog
June 2nd, 2019

"Offensive Opinions"
  https://tinyurl.com/y5vw9keq

Personal Weblog

June 5th, 2019

"Little Things Mean a Lot"
  https://tinyurl.com/yy25bmr5

--

Ron Rolheiser,
San Antonio, TX

Personal Web Site
June 3rd, 2019

"Faith, Fear and Death"
  https://tinyurl.com/y3dp522n

--

Mark Whittall,
Ottawa, ON.

Sermons and Blog,
June 7th, 2019

"God's Favourite Language"
  https://tinyurl.com/y2qtpaa3

 

*****

NET NOTES

FAITH SUSTAINS RESIDENTS OF N. ALBERTA
Many Were Caught Up in Wildfire Confusion

Catholic Register/Catholic News Service
June 4th, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/y2wluc8w

--

AN INTERVIEW WITH RACHEL HELD EVANS
Recently Deceased American Spiritual Writer
When Her Book "Searching for Sunday" Appeared

Englewood Review of Books,
March 24th, 2015

https://tinyurl.com/yyqh7ncj

--

GOD'S COMMISSION - EVANGELICAL FINANCES
Investigating the Tradition in Suburbia

Sightings,
June 3rd, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/y52uvs63WA

--

A CATHOLIC DIVIDE BETWEEN EUROPE AND AMERICA
Fascism Was Experienced Differently and Separates Church

La Croix International
June 5th, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/yyq5xmjw

(You will need to register to read this article)

 

--

FORCED CONVERSIONS, MARRIAGE SPIKE IN PAKISTAN
Conservative Nationalism Trend Follows Other Countries

Religion News Service,

June 6th, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/yx9l4xv8

--

WILLARD METZGER NAMED NEW CITIZENS FOR
PUBLIC JUSTICE DIRECTOR IN CANADA
Sound Interview with Karen Stiller
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada Podcast
June, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/yxq3g9c7

--

SCHOLARS FEAR FRANKLIN GRAHAM WILL CUT
OFF ACCESS TO HIS FATHER'S RECORDS
Does He Want to Control the Legacy?

Religion New Service
June 3rd, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/yyfav8ljwa

--

AMID RAMADAN CELEBRATIONS IN JORDAN
FEAR AND AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
Peaceful Muslim Nation - Aggressive Neighbours

Religion News Service
June 5th, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/yxrhwfht

--

 

THESE MOMS SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN
AGAINST THEIR CONSERVATIVE CHURCHES
They Call Themselves "Momma Bears"

Broadview,
June, 2019

https://broadview.org/mama-bears-lgbtq2/

--
 

CANADIAN INQUIRY INTO MISSING AND MURDERED
INDIGENOUS WOMEN ISSUES - FINAL REPORT
A Call for Sweeping Changes into How Handled

CBC.ca
June 3rd, 2019

 

https://tinyurl.com/y5wkylcewa

*****

 

WISDOM OF THE WEEK

Provided by Sojourners and the Bruderhof

We don't heal in isolation, but in community.

- S. Kelley Harrel

--

To create is to make something that has never existed before.
There’s nothing more vulnerable than that.

- Brené Brown

--

We have a sacred choice. We can remain addicted to certainty
because it seems to serve as an anchor in our often-troubling
world. Or we can begin to discover the plenty that lies within

the mystery as we loosen our grip on certainty.

- Christena Cleveland

--

If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what

I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I am

living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me

from living fully for the thing I want to live for.

- Thomas Merton

 

--

To suffer and to be happy although suffering, to have one’s
feet on the earth, to walk on the dirty and rough paths of this
earth and yet to be enthroned with Christ at the Father’s right
is to laugh and cry with the children of this world and
ceaselessly to sing the praises of God with the choirs of
angels – this is the life of the Christian until the morning of
eternity breaks forth.

- Edith Stein

-

No one is ever useless to God. No one who can pray is ever
useless. There are many people to perform the needed

activities, but too few to take the time for prayer.

I suppose the hardest thing about being an invalid, about

being “useless,” is that it is much harder to receive help

than to give it. It is much harder to be still than to be active.

That is why it is important to learn how to be a gracious

receiver as well as a gracious giver.

- Anna Mow

--

It is false humility to believe ourselves unworthy of God’s
goodness and to not dare to look to him with trust. True
humility lies in seeing our own unworthiness and giving
ourselves up to God, never doubting that he can work out
the greatest results for and in us. If God’s success depends
on finding our foundations already laid, we might well fear
that our sins had destroyed our chances. But God needs
nothing that is in us. He can never find anything there
except what he himself has given us.

- François Fenelon

--

A child knows how to accept a gift. He does not worry about
losing his dignity or becoming indebted if he accepts it. His
conscience does not bother him because the gift is free and
he has not earned it and therefore really has no right to it.

He just takes it, with joy. In fact, if it is something that he

wants very much, he may even ask for it. And lastly, a child

knows how to trust. It is late at night and very dark and

there is the sound of sirens as his father wakes him. He does

not explain anything but just takes him by the hand and gets

him up, and the child is scared out of his wits and has no idea

what is going on, but he takes his father's hand anyway and

lets his father lead him wherever he chooses into the darkness.

- Frederick Buechner

*****
 

MOMENTS IN TIME

Globe and Mail
June 4th, 2019

ATHLETE TOM LONGBOAT IS BORN

 

June 4, 1887: Tom Longboat is considered to be the
greatest long-distance runner in Canadian history, a
star when distance running was one of the world’s
most popular spectator sports. Longboat was born
on the Six Nations reserve near Brantford, Ont., on
this day in 1887, and withstood racist barbs for much
of his life. The runner would train hard for a few days
then take it easier – an interval-training technique
mocked at the time. He won the Boston Marathon
in 1907 – the first Indigenous runner to do so – cutting
five minutes off the record with a brilliant finishing sprint.

Although Longboat was favoured in the 1908 Olympics
marathon, he collapsed a few miles before the end. He
turned pro afterward – he set a world record in the 15-
mile race – and continued to win on the match- Then
Longboat enlisted in the Canadian Forces in 1916 and
relied on his athleticism as a dispatch runner, relaying
messages between military units in France. He was
wounded twice.

After the war, he never raced professionally again.
Although June 4 is marked in Ontario as Tom Longboat
Day, his military-service record shows a birth date of
July 4, 1886. - Philip King
 

---

Globe and Mail,
June 5th, 2019

CANADA'S FIRST RIGHT-TO-DIE
LEGISLATION IS PASSED IN QUEBEC

June 5, 2014: After years of heart-wrenching debate,
members of the Quebec National Assembly voted 94-22
to adopt Bill 52, an Act Respecting End-of-Life Care.

The law and the political debate were both quite unusual.
The process was steered principally by Parti Québécois
MNA Véronique Hivon. Quebec could not change the
Criminal Code, so the provincial law said the provisions
pertaining to assisting suicide would not be enforced,
clever workaround. Bill 52 touched on a variety of end-
of-life issues from palliative care through to refusing care,
but it was the provisions about assisted death, which
allowed patients in an “advanced state of irreversible
decline in capacities” to request a hastened death, that
made headlines – and history. “Canada will not be spared
the debate,” then-health minister Gaétan Barrette said
prophetically.

Eight months later, the Supreme Court would strike down
some provisions of the Criminal Code that made assisting
a suicide a crime, paving the way for federal legislation.
Quebec’s law took effect on Dec. 10, 2015, and the first
legal, physician-assisted death occurred without fanfare
within days.

The federal law came into effect on June 17, 2017.
There have been roughly 4,000 assisted deaths in Canada
since then, the once-unthinkable now routine. – André Picard

*****

CLOSING THOUGHT - Marianne Williamson

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that

other people will not feel insecure around you ...

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that

is within us ... As we are liberated from our own fear,

our presence automatically liberates others.

(end)

*****

For those interested -

LAST ACTS MINISTRY PROGRAM ACTIVITY FOR THE YEAR

ST. DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS'

REPORT TO THE CONGREGATION ON

OUR TOUR TO EAST EUROPE AND RUSSIA

Sunday, June 9th, 10:00AM Service

Scriptures and Presentations are related to the theme.

Welcome!

*****