Lessons in humility

Do you pray? If so, who taught you to pray? What is your undersanding of prayer and how does it influence your image of God (or whatever higher power you recognize)?

How we relate to one another can often reflect in the manner after which we relate to God. If someone has grown up in a household where there was much bullying or control then there very well may be a relationship of fear created between that person and God. By contrast, if life comes easily then we may be tempted to expect that God will acquiesce to our every desire.

To be truly wise is to understand that no matter how much power and influence we may have in some spheres, there are always others in which we are perpetual students, and one of these areas is that of faith. We can never presume to have arrived at the pinacle of knowledge when it comes to faith because faith is about relationships, with ourselves, with others and with God. If our conversation with God is genuine, we will be drawn ever deeper into the realization of this truth, and the fact that each of us really plays a very small part in the grand scheme of things.

There has been much discussion and debate about using the Lord's Prayer in various settings as a recognition of faith and not all the details have been flattering for either proponents or antagonists, but it is by no accident that Jesus taught his followers to pray using this precise formula.

Despite our deepest darkest desires, none of us is God, and we do well to acknowledge the fact that we all need to rely on a source other than ourselves for guidance through life. Meanwhile, we are all pilgrims on a journey toward our ultimate destiny, our final abode. From time to time, we do get glimpses of this destination even as we continue on the way, and these are indeed moments to be savoured.

Like a loving parent, God gives us all the food we need so that we can be nourished and strengthened. He never gives us too much of this special food, but just enough to tide us over to the next encounter. Between the moments of our lives when we encounter the sacred, we too are on a journey. We learn, we practice and we teach the lessons of forgiveness, of acceptance and of unbridled love.

Make time for prayer in your life. You might be surprised at the outcome.

Do good

Have you ever stopped to consider the motivation for what you do?

Busy people know that in order to get through all the tasks set before us, it is sometimes necessary to just function on auto-pilot, but to do this for any but a controlled length of time leaves the door wide open to the possibility that the do-gooder will eventually fall victim to his-her own desire to do, and forget how to be.

The true philanthropist does good work simply with the aim of making someone else happy. There's an immeasurable amount of reward in the doing if the aim is to truly make a difference in someone's life (usually someone other than oneself). Could it be that truth be known, it happens at least on occasion that people do good so that they themselves will somehow be assuaged from the guilt of too much success, or too much abundance? The problem with this attitude is that no matter how much good we do, guilt is never completely expunged.

By contrast, goodness breeds goodness, so acts of kindness which are motivated by love and genuine concern are infectious and often lead the beneficiaries of benevolence to themselves do small acts of kindness. The old saying holds true, 'tis better to light one candle than to curse the darkness'.

Where is there darkness in our lives today? Are there opportunities for us to spread even a little light in such places, bringing joy to the sorrowful and hope to the despairing? Every little bit counts.

One step closer

The Vatican undersecretary for Relations with States, Monsignor Pietro Parolin returned this week from a three-day meeting with high ranking officials in Vietnam, including Foreign Minister Pham Gia Kiem. The purpose of this meeting was to continue the process of negotiations toward the eventual establishment of diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Vietnam. There is still lots of work to do on that front, but at least there is an agreement now that discussions from this point onward will be frank, open and constructive.

Catholics in Vietnam only count for about 7% of the total population but Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung did visit the pope in the Vatican in January 2007, so there is at least a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Establishing diplomatic relations is a long and tedious process, and it often takes many years of vigilence and fine tuning.

This meeting is part of the ongoing efforts by the Vatican to strengthen relations with countries where there are only limited agreements and to attempt collaboration with those who progress in good will toward the possibility of lasting peace for the good of all people.

Knowing at least the highlights of some of the behind-the-scenes work that continues at the Vatican can help those of us who struggle at times to keep the peace within our own little worlds to appreciate the delicate balance that must be maintained especially when relations on the world stage are still at the very fledgling stages.

Considering the potential outcome of botched diplomatic negotiations, one wonders whether some nuclear families, people in the business world and those who fight for the rights of workers would not do well to practice the finer points of this balet. Of course, the same lessons also apply to the world of establishing and maintaining friendships and acquaintances.

Celebrating 400 years, day 1

The festival has begun. After more than four years of preparation, the city of Quebec came to life today with the beginning of the 49th International Eucharistic Congress.

More than 10,000 pilgrims are converging on the city this weekend:



The festivities began with a celebration of life:



and the procession of the Blessed Sacrament which was brought into the worship space along with the Ark of the New Covenant which has been traveling across Canada in preparation for the Eucharistic Congress:



The opening ceremonies were a wash of colour and pagentry:



More will be published in the coming days. Stay tuned.

A compassionate look

Yesterday morning I visited with some very good friends. The meeting was brief but the significance was profound. I've known this family for almost 20 years and it was very good to see them all gathered together. There are some new additions which fill the air with laughter and the promise of life, and this is very good.

The purpose of our visit was to celebrate life, the life of a father, a grandfather, a great grandfather who together with his wife had instilled in their children and consequently in further generations the faith that animates them even to this day. He taught them the simple truths about love, about family about welcoming strangers and making them feel at home, about building bridges and celebrating life.

Great nono as he is known to the younger generations was reunited with our creator a number of months ago, but even to his final day in this world, he continued to teach the lessons of life. As we interred his ashes yesterday, memories came flooding back about these very valuable lessons, and about his wife who he now sees face to face for all eternity. Great nono taught many lessons, including the value of compassion. None of us can live honest and truthful lives if we are not first willing to truly learn the lesson of compassion. How else would we be able to walk beside the humble, struggling with them to understand that ultimately only He can determine the length of our days, the struggles and the joys that we will encounter, and the most valuable gifts of all ... openness of heart to accept our part in the continual unfolding of the mystery we call God.

When great nona died a number of years ago, I could not be present at her parting. Instead I remember music being the key to my spiritual union with all those who bid her farewell in trust and love. This time, I am grateful to have played a very small part in the human rituals of sending great nono on his way home.

Compassion is key to living a life of faith. Without it, we can never hope to be genuine in our quest to follow in the Master's footsteps. Further reflections on this theme might very properly include a look at the special gift of the Eucharist, given for the life of the world, and the ways in which we are called to use this gift for the building up of the family of God.

Facebook for Catholics

Many people may be aware of the popular networking internet page called FACEBOOK. For years, this site has offered young and older internet gurus the possibility to interact with their friends in cyberspace. Now there's another option open to Catholics who want to network with friends in a specifically Catholic environment.

George Cardinal Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney launched xt3.com today. This site which is part of the social networking that has been developed as part of the preparation for next month's World Youth Day celebrations promises to bring yet another new level of communication to life for those who will attend the WYD celebrations, as well as those who cannot physically be present, but who want to interact with other young people who are asking questions about faith, and looking for ways to find people of faith to chat with or to socialize with.

Cardinal Pell himself has reportedly joined this online community, although he professes his lack of knowledge about the online world, and he has invited 100 other young people to join him as the earliest members of this cyberspace community.

The organizing committee for the 2008 WYD gathering have introduced a number of innovations including an online registration system which allows the organizing team to maintain contact with group leaders as well as individual participants through email. Considering the fact that they are expecting approximately 250,000 participants, this is a mammoth undertaking, but so far it seems to be meeting with great success. Group leaders receive periodic updates providing information about tourism in Australia as well as reminders to make sure that their group members are properly prepared for the one-week experience which will take place in just less than 35 days' time.

The countdown is on. By now final arrangements are well underway for those who will soon be visiting down under, and the WYD gang appear to be well on their way to preparing the terrain for what promises to be one of Australia's largest gatherings ever. Throughout the history of the World Youth Days, the international gatherings have had a positive effect on stimulating interest and growth among the local Catholic populations. If the preparations which have taken place so far are any indication of the extent to which the Aussies will go to make sure that foreign visitors encounter Christ during their stay, this WYD promises to be a special encounter not only for the WYD participants, but for the local population as well.

33 days to go.

The apology

It's been a very long time in coming, but finally this afternoon at 3:00 pm EDT the Prime Minister of Canada stood in the House of Commons to deliver a formal apology to the First Nations people of this country who suffered abuse during their stay at government sponsored residential schools from British Columbia to Newfoundland.

Today's apology voiced in the Canadian parliament comes only four months after a similar apology was spoken by the Prime Minister of Australia. The close proximity of these two events speaks volumes about the fact that both countries have been conscious of the betrayal that aboriginal people have had to endure during the past centuries, and the common errors which have been made throughout history by those who were involved in introducing European culture to the new world.

Surrounded by other Members of Parliament, the Prime Minister spoke to eleven aboriginal leaders who had been invited to sit in the House of Commons. They represented the various First Nations people who are found throughout the country, and whose people were forced to attend the residential schools in Canada for a period of more than 100 years, ending only in the late 1990s.

Initial reports, which have been flooding the airwaves all afternoon, speak of gratitude for the words of apology which have been so long in coming. This milestone represents a major development in the long battle for the acceptance of blame for having forced thousands of Canada's First Nations people to be re-programmed, effectively denouncing the validity of their traditional customs and beliefs.

Reactions to the apology are mixed. While some accept the Prime Minister's words with grateful hearts, others will need to test the honesty of that which has been said, and this will take place in the coming weeks and months as the fallout from this day comes to light.

The road to recovery is long, and often has many twists and turns which must be negotiated. Each person who was effected by the residential school experience, and all of their descendants will eventually have to travel that road. In the meanwhile, efforts at promoting reconciliation are well under way in many parts of Canada and are meeting with various levels of success. Now that the apology has been spoken the proverbial ball has been thrown into the courts of those who must either accept it or not.

Truth be known, this day represents a great development in the process of reconciliation. What happens next remains to be seen.