It's All About Love

As a child Valentine’s day was something to look forward to and prepare for; making Valentine cards for family and friends, getting sweets in the shape of hearts. On the other hand, Ash Wednesday was a day for fasting and prayer, reminders of our need for repentance and receiving the ashes to remind us we were mortal. I admit it was also fun to wear the ashes and have the kids at the neighbouring school wondering what we were up to. That these two feasts are happening on the same day this year raises the question of whether there is a gift available in their unusual coming together.

Image: Unsplash/Kelly Sikkema

Recently a dear friend passed away after a long, loving and faith-filled life. While reflecting on her life, the gift of these two feasts became abundantly clear.  It’s all about LOVE. Her life witnessed her love of family and friends faithfully, consistently, and delightfully with kindness, humour and quiet presence; Valentine love if you will. Her deep love of and gratitude to God were made obvious not just when she had ashes on her forehead but by her loving presence not only at church but in her community where she faithfully ministered. Thank you Rose.

As we begin our Lenten journey may we bring with us the gift of our growing awareness of what it means to BE LOVE personified.

-Maureen Condon, CSJ Associate

Communing with a Ruff-Legged Hawk

I would have to say, the biggest highlight of the year for me, was the opportunity to commune very intimately with a ruff-legged hawk this past December 7, 2023. The encounter has forever changed me, having ingrained in me an even deeper spiritual connection to all of Creation. I witnessed the hawk being attacked by a vulture on one of the back roads between Thedford and Arkona, Ontario. As I drove closer, the vulture lifted off leaving the hawk lying on its back on the road. I stopped and approached the magnificent creature with the intent to move it off the road and out of the way of greater harm. When I spoke with it, the hawk looked me directly in the eyes. It felt as if he was looking deep into my soul. The environment around us dissolved and I was witness to all of Creation as seen through the hawk’s eyes. I heard (in my mind) “I see you for who you are.” It was nothing short of miraculous!

Not able to come to a solution about how to help this injured raptor, I placed him on his belly in the soft grass at the side of the road, apologized for being human and unable to help more, and left. Imagine my complete surprise the following day, when travelling the same route, a little head perked up at the side of the road very near the same spot I had left him! Gordon (named for the road on which we met) was trying to eat a morsel of the road kill over which he had been attacked. I pulled over a second time, withdrew a light fleece blanket from the back of the Terrain and approached the bird. He seemed to remember me, the crazy lady who talks to birds. I bundled him into the blanket, thanking him for the second chance to help him get medical care. He travelled with me, nestled against me, fastened under the seat belt with care not to irritate his injured wing. I noticed also that his upper beak had been broken at the tip. This would have made it more challenging to eat, no doubt.

It took a while and a couple of stops to get him to Salthaven Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre where, after a few days, it was determined that his injuries would significantly reduce the quality of his life and that he would not survive in the wild at all. He was released to the Great Beyond on Tuesday December 12th. His spirit soars freely now and I know that he will continue to teach me much over the coming months. Be sure to watch for the release of my second book, Omens of Change, where he has found a new life.

© Laureen Giulian, Author of Moon of Change https://laureengiulian.ca/books/moon-of-change/ 

Reflecting on Christmas 2023

Reflecting on Christmas this year, has repeatedly drawn me back to an image of the kitchen table adorned with a freshly baked loaf of bread. It’s simplicity, promise of sustenance, nourishment, and comfort challenge me as I reflect upon what I am called to this Christmas.

I have spent much of the past year reflecting on hunger and food. Not just the hunger experienced in the pits of our bellies, but in the depths of our souls; that drives us to a downward spiral of greed and endless consumption. In Braiding Sweetgrass, indigenous author Robin Wall Kimmerer speaks of the Windigo, human creatures turned to cannibalism, consumed by insatiable hunger, spread by a bite from one to another. This sinister reality is apparent in the capitalist North American culture where desire for ‘things’ is easily spread from one person to the next, regardless of the harm it can cause to our bodies and planet.

The coming of Christ Jesus, in the form of a baby offers a break to this life-stealing pattern.

The illumination of Luke’s nativity (2: 1-7) in the St. John’s illustrated bible depicts a striking image of a gold column extending from a manger in a stable, to the heavens. In the St. John’s bible God is portrayed in gold. Holding this image with the manger, a source of food and the reminder that Bethlehem literally means town of bread, perhaps explains my focus on bread as an image of Christmas.

Through the incarnation God breaks into the world, bridging heaven and earth, in a profound way. The sacred is made present in the world, in creation, for creation, and through creation. It can be found in the very food we eat that sustains us, nourishes us, and gives life. This is the gift we are given in Christ Jesus.

Significantly, Emmanuel, God with us, is made present in the form of a baby in a stable, to a poor couple uprooted by a decree to be registered that engaged the whole world. ‘The world’ is busily engaged in its own priorities and activities. How many missed the birth of the Messiah? Had it not been for the shepherds’ openness, taking the time to pay attention to the angel in the fields, it may have been missed completely. How many times do we miss God appearing to us in simple moments in the busyness of our lives? How might recognizing God in these moments help still our hearts, and help foster right relationship with God, one another, and creation.

The invitation of Christmas is to pay attention to where and how God breaks into our lives, in surprising and simple ways. Recognizing the sacred that surrounds us fosters our gratitude for what we have. This in turn transforms our hearts towards God, helping fight off our Windigo tendencies, supporting our growth in God personally and as a community, locally and globally. This Christmas may we be able to share the bread that we have each been given, in whatever form it takes, with one another, that we might individually and collectively, grow into Emmanuel. 

-Annette Donovan Panchaud, CSJ Associate

Image: Unsplash/Anne Nygård; Vicky Ng; Jon Carlson.

Advent IV

“There is no way you make your way by walking”

(Antonio Machado)

I learned this saying on a Heart-Links work awareness trip to Peru. During Advent, we visualize the walk Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem. Their circumstances of forced walking play out in the world today.

We know through constant news feeds that our fellow human beings are on the move fleeing from war, environmental disaster, starvation. They are OUR people on the move, desperate for shelter, for safety, and for a hopeful peaceful future for their families. We say there is room for you in me, but is there? We witness the call to walk beside marginalized homeless in our local communities, those struggling with mental health and addiction issues.

With so much darkness both on the international and domestic scene, Advent gives us the symbol of light to illuminate the way.

Image: Unsplash/Mario Losereit

From 1962-1994 the Sisters of St Joseph in Canada from the London area, served impoverished communities in northern Peru. They did so with open hearts, and some went on to give years of walking in Peru with the people. When it was time to leave, to continue their love and an active presence the Sisters of St Joseph in 1994 created an organization called Heart-Links.

I was privileged to be invited to serve on the first Board of Directors when the Sisters transferred this charity to an incorporated independent corporation in 2003 and I travelled to Peru, to the streets of Zaña, Mocupe, Reque, Aviacion, Nueva Arica, Cayalti, and Cajamarca.  Walking with the people, I felt a reciprocal exchange of love and connection. I met the dynamic Father Victor, well loved by the religious in London and Windsor. We ate bread from the bakery beside his church. Bread that was shared amongst the poor. Thick soups that were given daily at volunteer-run commodores.

Poverty in Peru continues. Heart-Links support stays strong with the oversight of a small office in London and inspiring partners in Peru, but we are fearful that in an instant the physical gains made can be wiped out as the dreaded El Niño is bearing down on them once again. Flooding caused by a warming of the Pacific Ocean brings with it a dengue epidemic, roadblocks, destruction of homes and livelihoods.

We feel firsthand how a perilous lack of resources

can be for the marginalized in our cities.

I am part of a small group that responded to the need to sponsor refugees. As a group that evolved from the commitment of Benedict Labre (formerly Kings College Chapel) and the Quaker meeting at Coldstream we decided to embrace the idea of refugee sponsorship.

Currently the United Nations estimates there are 110 million displaced people in the world, more with this current conflict in Gaza and Ukraine, and over 36.4 million refugees. There are 43.3 million forcibly displaced children. In 2022, Canada accepted 140,621 refugees. We are proud of the fact that our country is unique in its community support of refugee sponsorship, but now the way of walking with refugees is compromised. Government support at all levels has fallen behind the cost of living. Public support for efforts such as ours is declining.

The path we walk on has become very precarious. I am very worried about our latest sponsorship; one we carried out in partnership with the Catholic Diocesan church refugee ministry office.

This blended support sponsorship ends in a year. We have under our care one of the most vulnerable of family groupings. A very young mother and four-year-old son could be homeless in March, 2024. The only apartment we found for her and her son is over the allowable rate by Ontario Works. Landlords know this is a problem and are now refusing to rent to refugees without an individual from the sponsoring group signing the lease. This is not tenable going forward. Our little group is still walking but we need help… all we see right now is the darkness is coming in.

Image: Unsplash/Marek Piwnicki

The north star is a promise of fixed light for all of humanity. It does not divide or distinguish its gifts according to different expressions of faith, rather it gives hope. It illuminates darkness. Walking strengthens our resolve of how we want to go forward in this world.  I have felt in my social justice work that the gift is to the giver. There is a mutuality of walking with.

We share with you the beautiful song below, “Gracias a la Vida “by Mercedes Sosa has a lyric which talks about “the route of the soul from which comes love”.

NO HAY MANERA DE QUE HAGAS A CAMINO CAMINANDO.

-Pat Howe, Kindred Spirits Associate Group

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AN UPDATE ON THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH WORK IN PERU

From 1965 until today the Sisters of St. Joseph from the Pembroke area have Ministered to the Peruvian people living in the Chincha Valley. This mission continues to respond to the needs of the Peruvian people through the great initiatives of Sister María Choquez and Sister Gloria Muchypiña who are both Chincha Valley woman working among their own people, and Sr. Teresa (a Carondelet Sister of St. Joseph) who continue to minister in the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima, Chincha Alta.

Sister Pauline Coulterman who lived in Peru for 23 years, continues to work for our Peru mission as promoter doing fundraising in Canada for the many projects happening in the Chincha.

Each year she invites interested volunteers to visit Chincha for a two-week experience. These volunteers visit the projects the Sisters are helping out with and get a feel for the needs of the people with the hope that they would be advocates for the mission in Peru.

These trips provided the people an excellent opportunity to experience:

• the Peruvian people and their culture

• the historical sites and shrines within the city of Lima

• the poverty-stricken areas surrounding Lima

• the wealthy community of Miraflores on the coast

• the city of Chincha Alta (located to the south of Lima) and its surrounding area

• the mountain regions of Cuzco and Puno.

Some of the work they assist in involves the formation of the Communities and Training of the leaders in the 58 CEB’s- Basic Christian Communities of the parish. Educational and Spiritual programmes for adults, youth and children. With the help of many dedicated parishioners, they continue to oversee the catechetical sacramental programs introduced by our earlier Sisters.

They work with and oversee the Social Assistance Programme which organizes the distribution of food and clothing to the needy families and attends to some medical needs.

Apart from their work in the parish, the Sisters are responsible for overseeing a number of Canadian supported projects that are happening in the area.

• Scholarship Program for Peruvian children whereby a Canadian Family agrees to sponsor a particular child from Kindergarten until the end of Grade 11.  Last year there were over 300 children sponsored.

• Water Projects, the earthquake of 2007 destroyed nearly all water pipe lines of the area.  The main pipes the town replaced but not the lines into the people’s homes.  The Sisters work with these families to get their land deed and the documents needed and this project pays for the pipes and the meters.  Another part of the Water Project is to build bathrooms inside people’s homes to get away from using the back yard as a toilet.  Once an inside washroom is built, showers are also put in. 

The Sisters are constantly looking to the needs of the people and doing what they can to respond. If any one is interested in a two-week visit to Chincha, Lima and (Machu Picchu), Sister Pauline would be more than happy to make arrangements for this. More information can be obtained by contacting Pauline at pcoulterman@csjcanada.org.

The Peace Candle is Lit

Reflection for the Second Sunday in Advent: The Peace Candle is Lit.

“Comfort, O comfort my people, “ (Isaiah 40, 1-5)

Looking at the big picture right now, the world could use a little comfort. But alas, we wait. We “wait on the Lord” indefinitely for a time of peace. We also wait for times of personal peace in our own hearts and souls. The question is “ how do we find peace in our waiting?”

• waiting for the kettle to boil

• waiting for a baby to be born

• waiting for a loved one to die

• waiting for the pandemic to be over

• waiting to retire

• waiting for a healing

(think of the man who waited 40 years at the pool of Bethesda)

Image: Unsplash/Laura Nyhuis

On it goes. We wait and wait; sometimes with anticipation and hope, sometimes in fear and dread. Sometimes our waiting can wear us down. Our waiting can often be compared to a walk in the dark. We must go through the darkness day by day, to get to the light. But think of the times in your own life when the trial did end, you got the call, the illness was healed, the baby was born, retirement arrived and the light did come. Is there a lesson here? Is there a cycle here that faith can alleviate? In most cases, the answer is yes! Of course, sometimes there is no happy ending and we must accept the inevitable death of our dreams, hopes and expectations.

Image: Unsplash/Jonathan Meyer

For me, the most difficult wait is the one where fear takes over our usually rational mind. My equilibrium is upset. My racing thoughts won’t cease and my mind takes over. It is said that the ego must always find something to nag us about. This is the time where a regular spiritual practice is important to my wellbeing. It is possible to let go of the ego mind even if it is temporary. I can centre myself in God’s presence and I can find my affirmations one more time and remember to say them. One of my favourites is, “ Let us abandon ourselves Into the heart of LOVE, for LOVE’s grace abides wherever we are.” I believe that this is what John the Baptist is telling us when he says to “make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Make way for that space within myself where peace resides. Because it does reside in each of us. And so we pray, pray, pray.

And let us be comforted in hope by the words from Isaiah: “he will gather the lambs in his arms and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.” Be comforted by the words in scripture and in the beautiful music that is available to us. And finally, St. Peter has some words of wisdom for us:

Image: Unsplash/Tamara Menzi

“ Therefore, Beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace.”

( 2 Peter 3, 8-14)

- Marg Maheu, Associate