Lest we stand uncomprehending

Have you ever had the experience of knowing that gestures, words, thoughts and even your mere presence in a particular place at a particular time has major significance? This happens when major events are taking place, or when significant moments or experiences, which define our lives, come to pass.

Some of us can recount in quite some detail where we were, what we were doing and how we reacted to the news that the space shuttle had exploded for instance. Others who didn't exist in earthly form before 1987 may instead think of where they were and what they were doing when Y2K was all the rage, and especially in the final minutes of the twentieth century. Perhaps the defining moment was the death of John Paul II. Whatever the precise details, the sensation of being keenly aware of the moment is always the same.

Today I was present at the celebration of a funeral which took place in this parish. This was certainly not my first funeral, but for some reason, I was keenly aware of the liturgy, its symbolism, and the references to the beginning and the end of earthly life. What was more interesting was the connection between life as we know it and the mystery of life in Christ - life without end.

I suppose that one of the scripture passages chosen for today's liturgy (cf Wisdom 4:14-15) had something to do with firing up my thought process, but perhaps that's a very good thing. In the end, we all have to determine our belief in an afterlife, in the possibility that God is waiting for our return with the love of a parent who watches impatiently at the window, anticipating his or her child's return. What a wonderful image to hold, cherish and contemplate!

Without such faith, could we truly continue watching the events of our lives, like the death of a loved one, without comprehending the love of the One who first gave that person to us, and who waits for our return?

Growing pains

The start of a new year is always a time for evaluations of differing sorts and kinds. Today, we reached another milestone in the evaluation of our current standings with the Beech Street Community Kitchen.

Since its inception in October 2007, this pastoral outreach program has been moving ahead with great enthusiasm from all those who are involved. The aim of the BSCK is to welcome mothers (and others) who are food insecure to cook with us. At the end of each event, the participants take the proceeds of their efforts home with them, to be shared by the members of their families.

A total of five kitchen events have been held so far, and participants are all abuz about their experience. This is a really good thing both for the recipients of the fruit of our labour and those who are involved in all aspects from planning menus to execution to transportation and beyond.

In addition to the obvious benefit to those who nourish their families with physical food, the Beech Street Community Kitchen allows participants, many of which are young parents who are constrained by various burdens imposed by circumstances often beyond their control, to interact with others in a relaxed, jovial and productive environment. Anyone who participates, even for just one kitchen event, can't help walking away with a renewed sense of thanksgiving for the miracle that is taking place right before their eyes.

How often do we experience the miracle of God's presence? Do we take advantage of the opportunity to identify these experiences, muchless the time to say thanks to the One who affords us this privilege?

Community kitchen events resume this week and will run every second Thursday. For more information, please contact Christ the King parish.

Little Christmas

For the second year in a row, I got to celebrate Orthodox Christmas this year with some Ukrainian friends. Last year, a friend invited me to attend her annual house party. Actually it turns out to be more like an open house.

This was a wonderful opportunity to meet with friends and aquaintences, most of which I don't get to see except on rare occasions. There are always some new faces, and the menu is very festive, and very traditional. After we have a cup of borshch (beet soup), the next course is an assortment of salads, fish and a roast of ham ... oh and never forget the varenyky (peroghi) which are always served with butter and onions. Top this off with a desert which must include kutja, a traditional Christmas mixture of wheat, poppy seed and honey served cold.

Celebrating Christmas with other cultures opens our eyes to the rich variety of experiences that are all around us. It also gives the curious mind another avenue for growth as we dare to expand the horizons of our normal routines, and celebrate with others who are perhaps just around the corner. Who knows what lessons we can learn about each other if only we would open our eyes, hearts and minds to walk in the shoes of those who are our neighbours.

Christ is Born. Merry Christmas.

Wisdom from the East

While many of our brothers and sisters from the Eastern Churches celebrate Christmas Eve today, the Roman Catholic Church is observing another festivity today. According to the established tradition, sometime after the birth of Christ, visitors came from the East to find the child in order to pay him homage. This visit from afar has become known as the Epiphany, or the visit of the Magi.

Like all people of faith, the Wise Men as some people know them were on a journey. They had heard of the birth of a King and were seeking to greet him in the customary fashion, offering him gifts befitting his rank.

Within the liturgical season of Christmas, the Epiphany gives us all pause to consider that the journey is not yet complete, and that each of us is also in search of the King. When we meet, the encounter has the power to change us, to provide us with countless sources for reflection, and even with the possibility of recognizing the gift of love and forgiveness.

As in days of yore, it is still the custom in many cultures that when people meet, they exchange gifts. Sometimes these gifts are of great and significant importance, but at other times, they are mere formalities that we observe out of courtesy. One would hope that if and when we have the opportunity to meet the One who came among us to unite us all in love, we might have something to offer as a token of gratitude.

Perhaps we would do well at this time of gift giving to consider what gift we are willing to offer when the opportunity arises to meet Him, and we might even have an idea or two about the gifts we would hope to receive in return.

As always, the text of my reflection, shared with the parishioners at the Church of Christ the King is available in printed format as well as podcast format. Whichever format you choose, I hope that these few reflections are helpful in planting the seeds of wonder within the hearts of those who are on the journey.

Life's little lessons

The days immediately before and after New Year's Day are always a time of new beginnings. For some, this is a time of making resolutions about things we want to change, things we want to improve, attitudes we want to change ... whatever the specific choices, this is a time for starting anew.

Sometimes the newness of it all comes from within. By this I mean that the change is something we conciously choose to effect about ourselves, whether that is a behaviour, an attitude or an outlook on life. At other times, resolutions are offered to us by circumstances, or dare I say God's promptings, and therefore the source is from without.

The other day, I was invited to attend an informal gathering. The pretense for the meeting was to review some of the Christmas festivities and to comment on the successes as well as areas of possible improvement for future consideration. Yes, this discussion did take place, but there was another deeper reality unfolding, one that opens yet another avenue for adventure, and another possibility for appreciating God's at times not so subtle invitations.

Depending on our work relationships, some of us have many opportunities to meet vast numbers of people, but we seldom have occasions to truly get to know the heart of the person that beats below the surface, and as a result we end up only knowing the externals about most people. Dare I say that this is the first level of relationships? However on occasion we do get the opportunity to move to a deeper level of knowing one another, perhaps the level of learning just a bit about the history, culture or background of the people we interact with. At this level, it's tricky business because we don't ever want to delve too deeply too quickly into the realm of another person's history, but curiosity sometimes is a good thing.

Relationships are two way streets. If we want to get to know another person, we have to be willing to share a part of ourselves in return. Thus the dance of questions and answers becomes an interchange of sharing parts of ourselves with one another, and in the end is this not what God intended in the first place: that we should live together in peace, that we should walk together through life?

Perhaps Robert Fulghum had it right all along: All we really need to know in life, we learn in Kindergarten, and the rest of life is spent just putting those lessons into action.

Theotokos

January 1 is celebrated as New Year's Day. The secular world puts much store by the preparatios for New Year's Eve parties of all sorts and kinds. From intimate house parties to large outdoor extravaganzas, people all over the world celebrated this turniing of the year.

The liturgical calendar designates January 1 as the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. The Greek term for this designation is Theotokos. The doctrine of Theotokos was defined in the Church at the Council of Ephesus.

The focus for my reflections shared with the commuity at prayer for this occasion focused on the lessons that we learn from our mothers, and particularly the lessons that we learn about faith from the mother of Jesus. Mary was the first of the disciples, and she in turn helps us to learn the essentials of listening to the promptings of God's spirit, and responding with generous hearts, hands and voices.

Today's feast is one of the few times that the Eastern and the Western Churches celebrate our common ancestry together, so let's give thanks, celebrate and dare to learn together the lessons we glean from this day's adventures.

As always, you can read the text of my reflection entitled A mother's lessons or listen to the recording of the homily as it was delivered during the celebration of the Mass.