Juno is an increasingly famous dog blogger. She has followers now from three continents, and a few from the Twilight Zone. Enjoy. Welcome to my personal stress-bucket diary. I know, I know; you see me prancing around and cannot imagine that stress is part of my four-pawed life. But apparently it is. Change it seems,... Continue Reading →
NEVER AGAIN. NEVER?
A sermon for the first Sunday of Lent, 2024 So what is your favourite bible story? Many for whom a Christian Church has not been part of their upbringing or first-hand experience will say something like “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” or “Jesus Christ, Superstar”—and what would we do without Andrew Lloyd Webber. (Point of... Continue Reading →
Together again – Reflections on loss
My beautiful and favourite Irish woollen cap and I are together again. As cats are said to have nine lives, this lovely green and blue topside dome of comfort and warmth is back in my hands and on my head. During a recent trip to Toronto to launch my recent book I left it, somewhere.... Continue Reading →
You are dust, and to dust you shall return
Definitely not a Valentine’s Day greetingA reflection for Ash Wednesday, Feb 14, 2024 They come in all shapes, colours, and sizes. They come as rolling cannisters drawn by a flexible tentacle, or as upright sticks with handles and a bag; they come as horizontal cylinders to be dragged across the floor. They are installed protruding... Continue Reading →
The Good News Story
Reprinted from Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations -- From the Center for Action and Contemplation -- Read online here This Daily Meditation explores the “seven stories” inspired by Brian McLaren and Gareth Higgins’s e-book The Seventh Story. Father Richard describes how the gospel offers us a new story: If we’re honest, culture forms us much more than... Continue Reading →
Connections
Sixteen squares each occupied by a single word. At first glance, they are simply words, seemingly unrelated to each other. The challenge--in this popular New York Times e-game--is to group these sixteen words into four connected clusters. The clusters are grouped supposedly by difficulty. Much depends however on how aware I am of pop culture,... Continue Reading →
Rod
Rodney David Rhys Smith, 1945 – 2023A reflection by Ken Gray I told Rod many times, that when the time comes for his funeral —and if I am invited to officiate—that I get the last word! And so I did, as about seventy-five family and friends gathered at Sequoia Gardens in Victoria recently. They laughed,... Continue Reading →
Aphorisms
In a previous blog I offered a review of Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future: A Novel. Peppered throughout Robinson’s story are hundreds of aphorisms which have me pause for cause (or cause me to pause), to take notice, and reflect. I find these words to be variously powerful, insightful, pithy, analytical, emotional,... Continue Reading →
Remembering the Martyrs—in a season of immense happiness
Commemoration of St. Thomas of Canterbury, d. 29 December 1170 In a beautiful liturgy at Canterbury Cathedral, the mother church of the Anglican Communion, St. Thomas, Martyr was remembered as an inspiration to those who suffer for their faith in our own day. Historically, Thomas Becket, also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, served as... Continue Reading →
Abounding in Kindness
Quilt made by Kathie Gray for daughter, Hannah, Christmas 2023 Excellent words for today, and every day Elizabeth Johnson, published on the daily blog of the Centre for Action and Contemplation Theologian Elizabeth Johnson summarizes the prophetic path as following a merciful God who abounds in kindness: Abounding in kindness, the holy mystery of God... Continue Reading →