The Same River Twice

There is an African proverb which states “you cannot put your foot in the same river twice,” but this piece of wisdom can also be found elsewhere with the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus (535-475 B.C.) who wrote “it is impossible to step into the same river twice.”

“But I have swam in the Pollett River all my life and it is the same now as it was 50-60 years ago,” you say?  I also swam in the Pollett River as a child, and if I were to ...

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The Burning Bush

In this week’s first reading from Exodus, the voice in the burning bush said that I was known to your fathers as “God Almighty” but now “I Am Who I Am.” The sacred letters that form this new name of God, “YHWH” were so sacred that whenever these letters were read out loud they were replaced by the word which in English is “Lord.”

But in English we are not so reluctant to use these words. “I am…” is ...

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Living Under the Blessing or the Curse

There’s a Buddhist parable that runs something like this: One day as the Buddha was sitting under a tree, a young, trim soldier walked by, looked at the Buddha, noticed his weight and his fat, and said: “You look like a pig!” The Buddha looked up calmly at the soldier and said: “And you look like God!” Taken aback by the comment, the soldier asked the Buddha: “Why do you say that I look like God?” The Buddha replied, “Well, ...

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Lent – A Journey of Love

Lent has come to us a little later this year than usual as Easter is only four days short of the latest it can be.  On a side note, if you were wondering how the date for Easter is determined; it is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the first day of Spring.  That information and $2 will get you a coffee at Tim Horton’s.  With Lent starting so late, it has given us much time to think about what we ...

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The Power of Words

Two phrases, one from the first reading by Sirach and the second from the Gospel reading, resonated with me to reflect on today’s readings. The first reading states, ” So a person’s speech discloses the cultivation of the mind. ”  The gospel by Luke reveals, “for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.”

It made me recall being told as a child that it is not necessarily what goes into the body that causes sin, but what comes out — notably ...

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Choosing Love

Over and over again I meet people in the hospital whose pain cannot be alleviated by medications, because even though they feel it in their body, it is soul pain. It is the pain of being out of synch with the world in which they live, the pain that grips when an important relationship (with self, with others, with nature or with God) has been severely damaged and a person can see no way past the brokenness.

One of the peculiar characteristics of this kind of soul ...

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Blessed is the one who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord

Over the years I’ve found that few teachings of Jesus are meant to be viewed as “required” behaviours, needed to please God and earn a place in heaven, as they are about a God who is already pleased by our existence and would love to see us live a life filled with meaning and joy. Luke’s gospel of “Blessings and Woes” is a shorter version of Matthew’s “Beatitudes” (Mt 5:1-11) and teach less about rules to be followed, as attitudes by which to live life more ...

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I AM WHAT I AM

“God doesn’t call the qualified; he qualifies the called,” is a quote I see frequently. Each of today’s readings has someone being called to do something for which they feel unworthy.  Rarely do three readings align so well as these three do.  While usually Peter is my guy – the one whose actions and words speak to me most poignantly – today, it is Paul’s words that resonate: “By ...

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Love Over Fear

Be honest…have you ever just wanted to throw someone off a cliff? Did the mere thought bring you secret delight? A smile to your face? Was it something they said to you? Something they did? The way they looked? Even if you do not literally want to throw someone off a cliff (thereby murdering ...

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Unity in Christ

Looking at today’s second reading, I interpreted the theme to be unity. Unity is defined as the state of being united or joined as a whole. First, we listen to Paul tell the Corinthians that all are baptized in the one body of Christ. He explains that every member of a body is important ...

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