Archive - Dec 2009 - Oct 2016 http://colleagueslist.blogspot.ca/

Friday, 30 March 2018

Colleagues List, April 1st, 2018

Vol. XIII No. 38 

GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE


HOLY WEEK AND EASTER EDITION
 
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
wholst@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:

Here is my Holy Week/Easter edition of Colleagues List which I hope you will enjoy. I provide a reflection on my thoughts about this holiest of Christian seasons, and hope you will reflect on it as well.

Thanks for reading Colleagues List!

Wayne

*****

SPECIAL ITEM
 
A HOLY WEEK AND EASTER REFLECTION
 
Over the past years I find myself reviewing my life through various stages of development. At 75, I suppose that is to be expected.
 
It's natural, during Holy Week and Easter, to revisit significant times during my evolution as a Christian. I hope that you might find my discoveries of interest and that it might prompt you to so the same.
 
Early Life
 
Everything was so fresh and new! I see that in the faces of my grandchildren today, and it takes me back to the 40's and 50's!
 
I was privileged to be raised in a Christian community and family where ritual and liturgical life were valued and it was formative for me to work through the six weeks of Lent, then Holy Week, then Easter, with the themes of darkness and light; sin and forgiveness; creation and redemption. All of this was taken seriously. No doubt, I did not recognize how I was being formed into a penitent that was very much aware of his short-comings. A lot of younger parents and pastors today would cringe at the negative influence imposed on me by nonetheless caring and lovingly significant people in my life back then. As a "faithful" Christian all of that seemed natural. I really didn't think about it. I did, essentially, what I was told.
 
Mid-Life
 
My pastoral and university teaching ministries fit rather neatly into about fifty years of 25 and 25 each. When you have to think about your influence on others - including a marriage partner and children in your care - you develop a different perspective from thinking mainly about yourself and your own development as a person.
 
I believe I learned a lot as a husband, father, pastor and teacher. I learned most as a result of the mistakes I made. Indeed, there were a lot of mistakes! It was in recognizing that, that I began to look to other sources of guidance and inspiration and to help me grow beyond the belief that I was a profoundly unworthy sinner. My exposure to the university world of the social sciences did a lot to make me aware that life was a lot bigger, and my spiritual awareness had been much too limited to handle what was on my plate.
 
I owe a debt of gratitude to many friends and mentors who were not particularly religious but who cared for me as a person.
 
Later Life 
 
Which brings me to the present - the mature years - when I once again pick up on the Holy Week and Easter theme. I don't think I grew spiritually all that much during those years when I was serving as a model parent, pastor and teacher for others. I was too busy doing a job.
 
Now, I have more time to reflect on the various themes of Holy Week and Easter. My relating, reading, music and other spiritual exercises help me with this. The themes of darkness and light; sin and forgiveness; creation and redemption, continue to inform my spiritual quest. I may not use the same terminology that I once used to describe this. I keep mining my experiences and perceptions to help me discover new images and sources of inspiration from the world  and people around me.
 
Gratitude for the Gospel
 
I was recently described as an "evangelical Christian" by a person who was helping my partner and I tend to end-of-life arrangements (not a morbid but a wise activity). It made me think, and then to conclude, that this was not a bad self-description (in spite of the baggage from past and present associated with the term). 
 
"Grounded in the gospel" and "committed to the proclamation of the good news" are indeed ways by which I would like to be described.
 
At this important time in the church year - Holy Week and Easter - I am happy to revisit the key times and places from which the Good News burst upon humanity. I want to reflect on what that means to me now and to celebrate with the communion of saints - past and present.
 
Thanks for helping me to express these thoughts.
 
Wayne

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

Mark Whittall,
Ottawa, ON.

Sermons and Blog,
March 30th, 2018

"Truth vs. Power"
  https://tinyurl.com/y7wyk8ro

--

Ron Rolheiser,
San Antonio,  TX

Personal Web Site
March 26th, 2018

"Putting God on Trial"
  https://tinyurl.com/y8ch8uhr

--

Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC

Personal Web Log,
March 28th, 2018

"Rituals"
  https://tinyurl.com/y85nqafx

--

Philip Yancey,
Colorado

Web Mail
March 30th, 2018

"Sounds of Silence in Japan"
  https://tinyurl.com/y9u6jq4p

*****

NET NOTES

MALALA RETURNS TO PAKISTAN
Human Rights Heroine Back Home

BBC News,
March 29th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/y7oajgzp

--

THE MYSTIQUE OF MARY MAGDALENE - MOVIE
British Film Depicts Mary in Newly Researched Ways

La Croix International
March 29th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/y9ls855b

"Rediscovering the Role of Mary Magdalene"

La Croix International
March 28th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/ycuxavr9

--

ISRAEL TO RESTRICT ENTRY
OF GAZA CHRISTIANS
Easter Visits Will be Strictly Monitored

Religion News Service,
March 29th, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/yd37qcn3
 
"17 Dead, More than a Thousand Hurt in Gaza Clashes"
 
Jerusalem Post,
March 30th, 2018
 

--

JOAN BAEZ - THE PRESIDENT
SANG 'AMAZING GRACE'
Beautiful Musical Reflection
on Obama's Visit to Charleston

The Atlantic Online
March 27th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/y9yfmqom

--

N.T. WRIGHT ON SAINT PAUL'S
CURRENT POPULARITY
Movie and Book Suggest
Contemporary Relevance

Religion News Service,
March 29th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/y7vkerxk

--

PREHISTORIC HUMAN FOOTPRINTS
FOUND ON CANADA'S WEST COAST
They Reflect Asian Origin

The Guardian,  UK
March 28th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/y8fdcy24

--

POPE WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR
ABUSE IN INDIGENOUS SCHOOLS
Native Leaders are Disappointed.

The Guardian, UK
March 28th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/yaxfyppb

--

ASIAN CHRISTIANS CAN SAVE
CHRISTIANITY FROM CHRISTENDOM

UCA News,
March 28th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/ychlj8rf

--

SOUTHERN BAPTIST LEADER RETIRES
DUE TO 'INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIP'
Another Unfortunate Example of a Failed Trust

Religion News Service
March 27th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/y892u95o

--

IN TRUMPLAND, LITTLE SEEMS TO HURT
Bad News Does Not Impact His Image

Globe and Mail
March 29th, 2018

“What a three days it had been. What a trifecta.

The “ridiculous budget situation,” the gun protests and Stormy. For bad news, kind of hard to top, you would think. Or, maybe not. Instead of a subsequent free-fall in Trump’s popularity, how about a lift?
 
Numerous polls to start this week showed his job approval numbers nudging up above 40 per cent, close on the approval rating for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A CNN survey had Mr. Trump up to 43 per cent, a poll in The
Economist at 41. Politico, which had him at 42, did a sounding
board on the Stormy effect. It found that while voters tended
to believe her, the scandal wasn’t hurting Mr. Trump’s standing. Not much does. The world is upside-down.

The worse he does, the better he does.”

– Lawrence Martin

*****


WISDOM OF THE WEEK

From Sojourners and the Bruderhof
 
Because Good Friday is not about us trying to "get right with God." It is about us entering the difference between God and humanity and just touching it for a moment. Touching the shimmering sadness of humanity's insistence that we can be our own gods, that we can be pure and all-powerful.
 
- Nadia Bolz-Weber

--

I am rooted, but I flow.

- Virginia Woolf

--

We need to do a better job of putting ourselves
higher on our own "to-do" list.

- Michelle Obama

--

We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone ...
and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry
of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads
from one to another that creates something.

- Sandra Day O’Connor

--

The image Jesus left with the world, the cross, the most
common image in the Christian religion, is proof that God
cares about our suffering and pain. He died of it. Today
the image is coated with gold and worn around the necks
of beautiful girls, a symbol of how far we can stray from
the reality of history. But it stands, unique among all
religions of the world. Many of them have gods.

But only one has a God who cared enough to become
a man and to die.

- Philip Yancey

--

One must learn to make the transition from “let this cup
pass from me” to “nevertheless, not my will, but thy will
be done.” And God grant that as you face life with all of
its decision – as you face the bitter cup which you will
inevitably face from day to day – God grant that you will
learn this one thing and that is to make the transition from
“this cup” to “nevertheless”.…This, you see, is the thing
that determines whether you go through life devoted to
an eternal cause or whether you go through life depending
on your own finite answers, which really turn out to be no
answers. This is the thing that determines whether you
can rise out of your egocentric predicament to devotion
to a higher cause.

This is what Jesus was able to do and this is the lesson
that he presents to us today.

- Martin Luther King Jr.

--

If we are honest, we have to say that we cannot reach
the goal. We cannot become what we ought to become,
true men and women. Many let the matter rest there;
they confess it, but take no action. They make themselves
satisfied with half because they cannot have the whole.

God demands all, not just half. And this “all” we are not
capable of giving. What is impossible for us is what God
wants – all love to him and to our fellow humans. If this is
true, it would seem that we can have no good conscience,
no trusting relationship with God, no inner peace, and no
freedom of the soul. But God has in his mercy shown us
different way. “You cannot come up to me, so I will come
down to you.” And God descends to us human beings.

This act of becoming one of us begins at Christmas and
ends on Good Friday.

- Emil Brunner


The heart is stretched through suffering, and enlarged.
But O the agony of this enlarging of the heart, that one
may be prepared to enter into the anguish of others!…
The cross as dogma is painless speculation; the cross
as lived suffering is anguish and glory. Yet God, out of
the pattern of his own heart, has planted the cross along
the road of holy obedience. And he enacts in the hearts
of those he loves the miracle of willingness to welcome
suffering and to know it for what it is – the final seal of
his gracious love.

- Thomas R. Kelly

*****


MOMENT IN TIME

Globe and Mail,
March 28th, 2018

THE BIG BANG THEORY IS COINED

March 28, 1949: Unlike most of the world, much of the
scientific community in the early 20th century subscribed
to the static infinite or steady state theories, which hold
that the universe has neither a beginning nor an end.

But in 1927, Belgian priest and astronomer George
Lemaître proposed that the universe came into being
at some point – what he called the “hypothesis of the
primeval atom” – and is expanding. The idea was
initially rejected, but later accepted by Albert Einstein,
who had developed the static infinite theory to
accommodate certain elements of his general theory of
relativity.

Two decades later, astronomer Fred Hoyle, a
proponent of the steady state theory, referred to
Lemaître’s idea – perhaps derisively – as the
“Big Bang” theory on a BBC radio show. He later
said many scientists liked the idea because “it is
deep within the psyche of most scientists to in the
first page of Genesis.” In fact, Pope Pius XII later
said Lemaître’s theory confirmed Catholic teachings
about creation, but both Lemaître and the Pope’s
own scientific adviser told the pontiff not to conflate
the scientific theory with the story in the Bible.

The Pope agreed, of course, obviously aware that
St. Augustine had also cautioned his fellow Christians,
15 centuries earlier, reading the allegories of the
Bible as scientific facts.


– Massimo Commanducci

(end)

*****

For Those Interested -

ST. DAVID'S ACTS MONDAY NIGHT WINTER STUDY
A Ten Week Series January 22nd - March 26th, 2018
Monday Evenings, TM Room 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

NOT IN GOD'S NAME - Confronting Religious Violence

Author: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Registration/Hospitality and Book: $60.00.
Book only: $20.00

42 copies of the book have been secured and all
have been sold. 35 persons have registered for the
course. Others are reading it alone or in another
small study group.

This series is already going well with strong,
enthusiastic attendances.

Read my background information on this study
http://cep.anglican.ca/not-in-gods-name/

This study introduces our 50th book!

This series has been completed.

--
 
During the 2016-2017 two session-term there were
class registrations of 70 and total books sold: 78


2017 was our best year ever, since we began in 1998!

Check our archives for 49 books studied since 2000: http://tinyurl.com/q3bw6dh
  
***
 
ST. DAVID'S ACTS THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
Ten Sessions January 18th - March 29th, 2018

Thursday morning sessions 10-11 AM

This term we are studying:
THE GOSPEL OF MARY MAGDALENE 
(in the Four Gospels and in several non-canonical texts)

Check out a good BBC video on Mary Magdalene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-jx8I49D3k&sns=em

Gathering at 9:30 AM in the St. David's TM Room.
No charge

15 persons make up our study group.
 The series has been completed.
 
Study resource -

"The DK Complete Bible Handbook"
  Edited by John Bowker

 
ST. DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS EVENT, 2017

South Africa was our destination! We planned a nineteen-
day tour that combined a focus on spirituality, social
justice, culture, and nature, and it ran October 21st
thru November 8th.


A beautiful brochure with trip cost, itinerary, and
many helpful travel hints was published.


http://tinyurl.com/hucsaf7

Twenty-five persons registered and paid in full to
take the trip. This was our tour group.


All together, thirty-two persons made deposits
but some had to withdraw for health or other
reasons.


We have activated a South Africa Spiritual Travelers
discussion list group to and used it to build community
amongst the participants, and to share news and
resources.


We reported our experiences to St. David's congregation
as a travel group reflection during the worship service Sunday,    January 14th, 2018. For information click Rostad Tours:

 
http://tinyurl.com/hucsaf7

This marks the end of our South African travel project.

We are about to start asking people "Where do we travel next?"

***

Lenten Notice:

ANNUAL ST. DAVID'S LENTEN RETREAT
AT MT. ST. FRANCIS, COCHRANE
Sunday, March 4th, 2018. 11:30 AM - 4:00PM

Theme: "Encountering a Sacred Intimacy With God"

Spiritual Director: Susan Campbell

This event drew 22  registrants and was much appreciated.
We will continue this worthwhile event next Lent.

https://tinyurl.com/ybyvgegu

*****
 







 

Friday, 23 March 2018

Colleagues List, March 25th, 2018

Vol. XIII No. 37 

GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE

 
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
wholst@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:

This week, colleague Richard Rohr celebrated
his 75th birthday. I am able to recognise him by
introducing a new book about him from Orbis:
"Richard Rohr - Essential Teachings on Love".

I also include his twitter message to mark the day.

Many at our church are fans of Richard's writings
and our library is updated with new books each year.

He is a Franciscan, and we attend our annual Lenten
retreat at Mount St. Francis, Cochrane AB - a Franciscan
Centre - much appreciated by many of us.

I include a full stable of articles and quotes in this
issue of Colleagues List, and hope you like it.

Wayne

*****

SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice -

RICHARD ROHR
Essential Teachings on Love
Selected with an Introduction
by Joelle Chase and Judy Traeger


Orbis Spiritual Masters Series
Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY
Released March, 2018
263 pages, $28.76 CAD. $22.00 US
ISBN #978-1-62698-269-7

Publishers Promo:

Drawn from the many books, writings, and interviews by
Richard Rohr, one of the most popular spiritual writers today,
this collections introduces many of the teachings for which
he has become known, all organized around the central
theme of Love.

--

Author's Words:

The most powerful, the most needed, and most essential
teachingis always about Love. Love is our foundation and
our destiny. It iswhere we come from and where we're headed. St. Paul so famously says "So faith, hope and love remain, but the greatest of these is love. (I Cor. 13:13).

My hope, whenever I speak or write, is to help clear away the
impediments to receiving, allowing, trusting, and participating
in a foundational Love. God's love is planted inside each of us
as the Holy Spirit, who, according to Jesus, "will teach you
everything and remind you of all I have told you" (John 14:26). Love is who you are.

- from the book's introductory chapter "1943-1957 - Love is
  the Foundation of Everything".

--

Author's Bio:

Fr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized teacher and the
founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC.org)
in Albuquerque, NM. His teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodox - practices of contemplation and self–emptying, expressing themselves in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized. He is also the academic dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation.


Drawing upon Christianity's place within the Perennial Tradition, the mission of the Living School is to produce compassionate and powerfully learned individuals who will work for positive change in the world based on awareness of our common union with God and all created beings.

Fr. Richard is the author of numerous books, including
Everything Belongs, Adam's Return, The Naked Now,
Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond,
and Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi.

Here is a link to a longer Wikipedia bio with his bibliography
to 2017: https://tinyurl.com/y7s4tmvu


--

Orbis Publisher's letter from colleague Robert Ellsberg:
http://www.orbisbooks.com/page-46.html

--

My Thoughts:


I was introduced to Richard Rohr almost 20 years ago by Ron Rolheiser, who readers of Colleagues List have the opportunity to hear from weekly. Ron invited Richard to a conference he had organized at St. Paul University, Ottawa and Richard gave the keynote address at that conference.

I began reading Rohr's books and other resources, and continue to do so. It has been a privilege to introduce many of his books on Colleagues List over the past years and he receives my weekly mailings as well.

As part of the Orbis Modern Spiritual Masters Series, this book - with selected writings from Rohr's work - is introduced by Joelle Chase and Judy Traeger who editor his daily meditations from the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque. What a wealth of spiritual resource this series truly is. Thank you series editor, colleague Robert Ellsberg!

It is no small task to draw a lifetime of Rohr's writings into a manageable collection, but Chase and Traeger do a good job of it. If  you would like to acquire a well-formed summary of Rohr's work and his Franciscan "alternative theology," this book would a good place to start.

(By the way "alternative theology" does not mean "opposing" theology, but another way of expressing orthodox theology in the Christian tradition of Francis himself. Rohr explains his theological approach in the introductory chapter).

Rohr views his work as part of the biblical prophetic tradition in the spirit of Christ himself. His theology is presented here as an evolutionary, organic development of living love that has grown through four of his life stages of experience: foundations (his early years); his formation in the Franciscan order; his maturing efforts to blend contemplation and action in the Christian life; and his final spiritual growth stage of "loving God in everything." All material is easily documented so that it is possible to read in more detail the original sources from  which these selections are drawn.

Rohr always focuses on core Christian themes, the central focus of which is love. Because of his unique way of writing and speaking with simplicity and clarity, he can work with a wide range of spiritual collaborators representing a wide range of people from cradle and former Catholics, Anglicans, Evangelical and mainstream Protestants, to "spiritual but not religious," to Buddhists, and to agnostics, all around the world.

"Rohr has had such a profound influence on so many Christians seeking to balance reason and mystery, action and contemplation, not to mention faith and real life," says Episcopalian pastor and author Nadia Bolz-Weber.

If you would like exposure to a helpful condensation of Rohr's writings; presented in a way you can engage a great deal of good material in a manageable way, I would heartily encourage you to secure this book.

Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
https://tinyurl.com/ya8n9tkk

Buy the book from Orbis Books:

https://tinyurl.com/ybvxd6qx

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

Richard Rohr,
Albequerque, NM

Personal Twitter Message,
March 20th, 2018

"Thisness -  75 years of Life"

  https://tinyurl.com/ya945kqd

--

Lorna Dueck,
Toronto, ON

Globe and Mail,
March 21st, 2018

"Faith-Based Students
  Should Never be Denied Summer Jobs"

“Smart, ambitious, innovative …. and religious young
Canadians just got kicked to the curb by the Liberal
government. Faith-based youth have had their prospects
for summer jobs dimmed and their convictions marginalized
as all but one Liberal member of Parliament voted Monday
night to limit access for summer job grants to those who
believe in a pro-choice ethic. Something simple and open
such as the funding for summer jobs has become a public
relations nightmare for a government that champions
inclusion and diversity.” — Lorna Dueck

--

James Wall,
Chicago, IL

Wallwritings.
March 17th, 2018

"White Evangelicals Stifle Own Values for Trump"
  
https://tinyurl.com/ybpcddpk

--

Martin Marty
Chicago, IL.

Sightings,
March 19th, 2018

"Protesting Children"
  
https://tinyurl.com/y78rqzp8

--

Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC

Personal Web Log
March 14th, 2018

"The Real Miracle of the Miracle Mile"
 
https://tinyurl.com/y8wxhbb8

--

Ron Rolheiser,
San Antonio, TX

Personal Web Site,
March 19th, 2018

"Our Need to Pray"
  
https://tinyurl.com/ybv88o5x

*****

NET NOTES

THE CARDINAL WHO FELL FROM GRACE
Scottish Catholic Prelate Died This Week

The Tablet,
March 21st, 2018


https://tinyurl.com/y8g3wzph

--

SIR ROGER BANNISTER'S "MIRACLE" ON THE TRACK
Remembering the Four Minute Mile Achievement

Sightings,
March 22nd, 2018


https://tinyurl.com/y9zddd5g

--

TRUMP SURVIVING "STORMY" STORM
WITH EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN SUPPORT

Morning Consult
March 20th, 2018


https://tinyurl.com/y96eje9g

--

STEPHEN HAWKING DIED AN ATHEIST
No Deathbed Conversion for Him

Religion News Service
March 20th, 2018


https://tinyurl.com/ybkdhgcu

--

"AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM"
American Youth Lead Protest Against Gun Laws
by Joan Chittister,

National Catholic Reporter,
March 19th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/yaob73xx


--

EGERTON RYERSON: TARNISHED HERO
How Should We Try to Understand Him Today?

United Church Observer,
March, 2018


https://tinyurl.com/y8jlxhly

--

FOUR MYTHS ABOUT SAINT PATRICK'S DAY
Much of it Did Not Originate in Ireland

CBC.ca News
March 17th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/yczd5vmz


"The True Meaning Behind St. Patrick's Day"
  An American Perspective

America Magazine,
March 15th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/yb3cuvwx


--

COPTIC CATHOLIC BISHOP WELCOMES
EGYPTIAN CHANGE OF HEART
Persecution Has Strengthened the Church

La Croix International
March 16th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/y9abhyhm


--

EASTERN ICONS CHALLENGE WESTERN
NOTION OF THE RESURRECTION
A Review of "Resurrecting Easter" -
by John Dominic and Sarah Sexton Crossan

National Catholic Reporter,
March 21st, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/y9jenv9e


--

FROM 'DOWNTON' TO JERUSALEM
HUGH BONNEVILLE SEARCHES FOR JESUS
Popular Actor Continues to Develop His Faith

Religion News Service
March 16th, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/ycrroepm


*****


WISDOM OF THE WEEK

From Sojourners and the Bruderhof online:


Earth’s crammed with heaven...

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

--

Violence is a symptom of impotence.

- Anaïs Nin

--
 

There is a different kind of prayer without ceasing; it is
longing. Whatever you may be doing, if you long for the
day of everlasting rest do not cease praying. If you do not
wish to cease praying, then do not cease your longing.

Your persistent longing is your persistent voice. But when
love grows cold, the heart grows silent. Burning love is the
outcry of the heart! If you are filled with longing all the time,
you will keep crying out, and if your love perseveres, your
cry will be heard without fail.

- Saint Augustine

--

“They have taken the Lord out of his tomb and we do not
know where they have laid him,” Mary Magdalene said,
and we can say this with her in times of doubt and
questioning. Then there’s that last glorious chapter of Saint
Luke, where Jesus says, “Why are you so perturbed? Why
do questions arise in your minds? Look at my hands and
my feet. It is I myself. Touch me and see.” Yes, sometimes
it is most surely an exercise of faith for us to see Christ,
especially in each other.

But it is through such exercise that we grow, and the joy
of our calling assures us we are on the right path. Most
certainly, it is easier to believe now that the sun warms us,
and we know that buds will appear on the sycamore trees
in the wasteland across the street, that life will spring out
of the dull clods of that littered park. There are wars and
rumors of war, poverty and plague, hunger and pain. Still,
the sap is rising, again there is the resurrection of spring,
God’s continuing promise to us that he is with us always,
with his comfort and joy, if we will only ask.

- Dorothy Day

*****

TODAY IN HISTORY

Globe and Mail
March 16th, 2018

Quebec legalizes same-sex marriage

March 19, 2004: The newlyweds took little time to fall
into the familiar patterns of marriage. A few months
after they tied the knot, they spoke of real estate,
heard and used the old line about the ball-and-chain,
and even joked about a French proverb: "Marriage is
a house where everyone outside wants to get in and
inside wants to get out." But in this case, Michael
Hendricks and René Leboeuf had fought a long
struggle to get into the house. Mr. Hendricks, an
American draft dodger, and Mr. Leboeuf, a Montreal
hotel doorman, met and fell in love at a New Year's
party in the city in the 1970s and moved into their
Plateau Mont-Royal house three years later. In the
1990s they began their lonely pursuit of marriage,
sometimes holding street marches of two to make
their demand. By 2004 an international movement
had gained momentum. When the Quebec Court
Appeal confirmed a lower-court decision striking
down the province's prohibition of same-sex marriage
on March 19, 2004, court cases had already cleared
the way for more than a thousand wedding processions
in Ontario and British Columbia. Michael Stark and
Michael Leshner were the first same-sex couple
legally married in Ontario in 2003. Mr. Hendricks
and Mr. Leboeuf were rewarded for their long
struggle on April 1, 2004. -Les Perreaux

--

Globe and Mail
March 20th, 2007

Rita Joe dies

March 20, 2007- They called her Gentle Warrior.
But the woman known as the poet laureate of the
Mi’kmaq people had battle scars, earned from
childhood. Rita Bernard was born in Whycocomagh,
Cape Breton, on March 15, 1932. Her mother died
when she was 5; her father when she was 10. She
lived in numerous foster homes and suffered abuse.
At 12, she arrived at Shubenacadie Indian Residential
School. She thought it looked like a castle; later, she
compared it to prison. After four years there, she had
to relearn Mi’kmaq, her native language, as she later
recounted in her poem, I Lost My Talk. She eventually
married Frank Joe and they raised eight children,
including two foster children. “Only a housewife with
a dream,” as she described herself, she began writing
in her 30s. But she went on to publish seven books,
including an autobiography, Song of Rita Joe, and
was awarded the Order of Canada. I Lost My Talk
became the basis for a National Arts Centre show
and was quoted in the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission report. “Let me find my talk, so I can
teach you about me,” it ends. Rita Joe died
March 20, 2007, an unfinished poem in her
typewriter. - Marsha Lederman

*****

 
CLOSING THOUGHT - Sandra Postel
     
For many of us, water simply flows from a faucet, and we t
hink little about it beyond this point of contact.

We have lost a sense of respect for the wild river, for the

complex workings of a wetland, for the intricate web of life
that water supports.

(end)

*****

For Those Interested -

ST. DAVID'S ACTS MONDAY NIGHT WINTER STUDY
A Ten Week Series January 22nd - March 26th, 2018
Monday Evenings, TM Room 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

NOT IN GOD'S NAME - Confronting Religious Violence

Author: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Registration/Hospitality and Book: $60.00.
Book only: $20.00

42 copies of the book have been secured and all
have been sold. 35 persons have registered for the
course. Others are reading it alone or in another
small study group.

This series is already going well with strong,
enthusiastic attendances.

Read my background information on this study
http://cep.anglican.ca/not-in-gods-name/

This study introduces our 50th book!

--
 
During the 2016-2017 two session-term there were
class registrations of 70 and total books sold: 78


2017 was our best year ever, since we began in 1998!

Check our archives for 49 books studied since 2000: http://tinyurl.com/q3bw6dh
  
***
 
ST. DAVID'S ACTS THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
Ten Sessions January 18th - March 29th, 2018

Thursday morning sessions 10-11 AM

This term we are studying:
THE GOSPEL OF MARY MAGDALENE 
(in the Four Gospels and in several non-canonical texts)

Check out a good BBC video on Mary Magdalene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-jx8I49D3k&sns=em

Gathering at 9:30 AM in the St. David's TM Room.
No charge

15 persons make up our study group.
 
Study resource -

"The DK Complete Bible Handbook"
  Edited by John Bowker

 
ST. DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS EVENT, 2017

South Africa was our destination! We planned a nineteen-
day tour that combined a focus on spirituality, social
justice, culture, and nature, and it ran October 21st
thru November 8th.


A beautiful brochure with trip cost, itinerary, and
many helpful travel hints was published.


http://tinyurl.com/hucsaf7

Twenty-five persons registered and paid in full to
take the trip. This was our tour group.


All together, thirty-two persons made deposits
but some had to withdraw for health or other
reasons.


We have activated a South Africa Spiritual Travelers
discussion list group to and used it to build community
amongst the participants, and to share news and
resources.


We reported our experiences to St. David's congregation
as a travel group reflection during the worship service Sunday,    January 14th, 2018. For information click Rostad Tours:

 
http://tinyurl.com/hucsaf7

This marks the end of our South African travel project.

We will soon be asking people "Where do we travel next?"

***

Lenten Notice:

ANNUAL ST. DAVID'S LENTEN RETREAT
AT MT. ST. FRANCIS, COCHRANE
Sunday, March 4th, 2018. 11:30 AM - 4:00PM

Theme: "Encountering a Sacred Intimacy With God"

Spiritual Director: Susan Campbell

This event drew 22  registrants and was much appreciated.

https://tinyurl.com/ybyvgegu

*****