The Hajj 2025

 

                                                                  The Kaaba circled by pilgrims 

I saw something along the lines of "5 things to know about the Hajj" which suggested that this annual Islamic pilgrimage was about to get underway. I was surprised because it seems early, and in a way it is. Because of the calendar employed to set the dates the Hajj is about ten days earlier each year. In 2022 it commenced on July 7th. 

The annual hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and this year over a milloin Muslims from around the world expected to take part. The event was severely restricted in 2020, the first year of the COVID pandemic but the Saudi government allowed 10,000 younger, healthy pilgrims, mostly from Saudi Arabia, to attend. 

This year also marks the 100th birthday of Malcolm X, the American civil rights activist who was a Muslim. He was active during the same period as Martin Luther King Jr., a Christian pastor, and both were assassinated in their 30s. 

Malcolm was raised a Christian and while in prison converted to a strange form of Islam practiced by the Muslim Brotherhood. Although he became a central figure in that movement his concerns about it led him to explore his faith and he adopted a more traditional Islamic practice. Ten months before his death he took part in the Hajj for the first and only time: 

Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and the overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as practiced by people of all colors and races here in this Ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all other prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors.

This was a transformative experience for Malcolm, as is evident in this portion of a letter from April 1964. 

The Hajj can be a dangerous experience because of the sheer volume of people and efforts have been made to reduce the number of pilgrims each year to prevent the stampedes that have killed many in the past.  We can pray for safety and spiritual deepening for all those who attend these next few days. 

Inside the Grand Mosque, pilgrims circle the Kaaba, a sacred, cloth-draped structure, while they pray.

Pilgrims make their way to Mina where they pray and stay overnight.

Pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have delivered his final sermon.

Pilgrims gather pebbles in Muzdalifa on their way to a ritual in Mina.

Pilgrims return to Mina to symbolically cast stones at the devil and stay for several nights in the tent camp.

Celebrating the Nicene Creed?

 I keep seeing news items about last month's celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed. I appreciate that May 20th probably wasn't on your party calendar and I can't imagine that many churches marked the event. It did commemorate what was a pivotal event in the history of Christianity. The Emperor Constantine convened roughly 300 church leaders in Nicaea (modern-day İznik, Turkey) in 325 AD to define the core tenets of Christian faith through the Nicene Creed. As Professor Jan Williams describes this event: 

Leaders came from some of the most sophisticated, wealthy and educated parts of the Roman Empire, like Alexandria, with its famous school and library. But they also came from some of the simplest parts, where peasant life was the norm for both the bishop and the congregations. St Spiridion, now the patron saint of Corfu, was one of the signatories; he maintained his hard life as shepherd while leading his human flock; St Nicholas of Myra, whom we now know as Santa Claus, was there, too; altogether there were probably 200 to 300 bishops there, highlighting the extraordinary spread of Christian faith across the Roman Empire. That is why the Council of Nicaea is called the First Ecumenical or world-wide Council. This was the first opportunity for the Church to take stock of itself and to notice and learn from its diversity.  

                                                         Constantine and the Bishops at Nicea

While this may seem like a yawner, Christians have always attempted to find common ground, with mixed success. When I led a study group on the Creeds at the end of 2024 the number of participants wasn't exactly huge yet we had good discussions about the ways in which statements of faith can be maps of the coastline of what we believe in common, ways to identify where we want to go.The Apostle's Creed and the New Creed of the United Church were the go-to's for our group and we also looked at the more recent Song of Faith. 

The Nicene Creed is in our worship resource, Voices United, tucked away in the back at #920. Today we tend to dismiss creeds as dry dogma but when we look at the hot mess of entertainment Christianity and the rise of "Christian" white supremacy out there we might do well to reconsider these touchstone statements. 

I'm surprised to read that there are scores of tour groups heading to Nicea/Iznik this year as part of the celebration -- how nerdy is this? The irony is that there are no Christian churches and no Christians in this city of 44,000. While Turkey is officially secular, no new Christian worship spaces are allowed, no Christian schools, no right for Christians to share their faith. 

Maybe we can stifle our yawns and admire the fact that in our age of zero attention span this creed has endured for 1,700 years. And if Santa Claus was at the Council of Nicea, shouldn't we be impressed? 

Pope Leo Blessing Cyclists?

 

Flanked by race leaders, from left, Denmark's Mads Pedersen, Mexico's Isaac Del Toro, Britain's Simon Yates and Italy's Lorenzo Fortunato, Pope Leo XIV blesses the pack before the start of the final stage of the Giro d'Italia inside the Vatican, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Andrew Medichini/AP)

Did you hear that a Canadian, Ottawa's Derek Gee, placed fourth in the Giro d'Italia, the Italian version of the Tour de France? This is an impressive accomplishment and I wonder if the blessing before the final stage of the race by Pope Leo gave him wings? This blessing took place at the Vatican and it may have been the first such occasion. Of course, the other 158 racers were also blessed so there wouldn't have been an advantage. 

According to Sportsnet Leo offered: “You are role models for young people all over the world,” Leo told the peloton. “May God bless all of you on this last part of the Giro d’Italia. Congratulations to all of you. May you know that you are always welcome here in the Vatican. You are always welcome by the church, which represents God’s love for all people.”

Given the history of doping in the sport the "role model" comment could be taken with a grain of salt, but that's okay. The race leaders actually spoke with the pontiff, an opportunity which caught them off guard. 

I've written about the annual Blessing of the Bicycles which has taken place at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City for 27 years. Cyclists bring their bikes into the cathedral and the dean sprinkles the riders with holy water. This is a blessing for protection in a city that must be more like heaven than hell for cyclists.

While I was minister at Bridge St. UC here in Belleville we held a similar sort of blessing with a much smaller group and then went for a ride through the city. Then we realized that we weren't insured for the latter part so we didn't repeat it. 

There are cities around the world that are creating cyclist-friendly environments, a blessing in itself. As a result there are fewer vehicles on the roads and people are realizing that they can get around for daily tasks and commutes just as fast or faster and be healthier in the bargain. In Paris, where crazy drivers once abounded, more cyclists now commute than car drivers.  Of course, Premier Doug Ford hasn't got the memo on this one and wants to remove bike lanes in Toronto. 

Well done, Pope Leo, on this initiative. Why not?  I hope this becomes a tradition although it might be wise for him to forgo spandex. 

                                                                        Paris cycling commuters

Stealth Charity?

 

Kirk Bennett noticed he was charged 62 cents for "PC CHARITY” at the Maxi grocery store in Dorval, Que., without being asked. (Submitted by Kirk Bennett)

 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for this bountiful gift that you have promised, so that it may be ready as a bountiful gift and not as an extortion. 

 The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not regretfully or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9: 5-7 NRSVue 

Jesus bids us shine,
With a clear, pure light,
Like a little candle burning in the night;
In this world of darkness, we must shine,
You in your small corner,
And I in mine.

Loblaw, the grocery and pharmacy colossus in Canada has apologized for what we might call stealth charity with some customers. 

It turns out that some customers have discovered that they were charged with a charitable donation without being asked or giving consent. 

One of those customers, Kirk Bennett,  had just finished shopping at a grocery store in an on-island Montreal suburb when he noticed that he had a 62-cent charge for "PC CHARITY" from the Maxi grocery store even though the cashier never asked him if he wanted to make a donation. The company says it was a mistake and will issue a refund to those who were charged without consent, but how many won't notice that this has happened. This is yet another bad look for a conglomerate that continues to make huge profits as many people struggle to pay for groceries. 

I'll admit that Ruth and I are mildly annoyed by the trend in some stores to be asked to make donations to various causes, although we recognize that this may be the only time some people give. We are fairly intentional in our giving, to international relief efforts, critter shelters, environmental efforts, our local congregation and the broader church. We do so as an aspect of our Christian discipleship and we don't consider ourselves philanthropists. For some reason it rankles when a cashier hits us up for contributions. So to sneak a gift onto a bill without letting customers know is disturbing. 

The apostle Paul gave instruction on providing financial support for the early ministry of Christ's church but adds that giving should be done cheerfully and without coercion. He might have added without deceit. 

Although Canadians continue to be generous in many ways the percentage of us who make charitable contributions is shrinking according to the Canada Helps report for 2024 and I've included some of their insights below. Our sense of responsiblity to others and putting our money where our mouth appears to be fading. 

Whatever some people think of the institutions of faith, they encourage generosity as a practical aspect of the spiritual life. In our case we both learned from our parents who had boxes of church envelopes with compartments for different purposes. One of those dated envelopes would be put on a passed plate on Sunday morning. How old school!  There are so many ways to give now, but we all need the motivation that goes beyond obligation. We have been blessed in our lives and want to be a blessing in some small way. 

• Giving participation decline: For the eleventh consecutive year, the number of Canadians making charitable donations has decreased. Over that time, Canada Revenue Agency tax filer data shows donation rates declined from 23.4 percent in 2010 to 17.7 percent in 2021. Similar findings were also highlighted which reveals that giving participation dropped from 82 percent in 2013 to 60 percent in our 2023 survey.
• Canadians with smaller social networks donate and volunteer less: Canadians are increasingly disconnected, and their social networks have shrunk; this correlates with lower rates of giving. From 2013 to 2022, the number of Canadians with six or more close friends has declined by 40 percent (from 37% to 22%), and those who feel a very strong sense of belonging to their community have dropped by 12 percentage points. More than 80 percent (84%) of those with many close friends donate, while just over half (53%) of those with very few close friends donate.
  
• There is a gap between what Canadians say is important and the action they take: Only 1.5 percent of donations made through CanadaHelps are directed to environmental charities, despite 32 percent of Canadians saying climate change or protecting the environment is a top cause for them, and almost half (48 percent) of Canadians expressing anxiety about climate change on at least somewhat of a regular basis.

A Podcast Prophetic Voice

 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs;  it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends.  1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 NRSVue

During the US presidential campaign last year many celebrities endorsed the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, including then Queen of the World, Taylor Swift. As we know, they didn't matter in the end, and there were pundits who suggested that the endorsement of Trump by podcaster Joe Rogen probably had far greater influence. Rogan is hard to pin down politically and idealogically but he often leans right and he's pals with Elon Musk, his "favorite billionaire."

The other day Bono, musician and front man for U2 was a Rogan guest  to task for supporting Musk in his gutting of aid to those who need it most, with Trump's blessing, of course. According to a Yahoo report: 

U2 frontman Bono  lectured podcaster Joe Rogan about the “evils” of his buddy Elon Musk during a new podcast episode. The conversation began with Bono, who has a long history of involvement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), citing a study that estimates the number of deaths caused by Musk’s cuts at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at more than 300,000 worldwide. He explained Friday that food is currently “rotting” in boats and warehouses because Musk fired the people responsible for distributing it.

“To choose which child to pull off the IVs—it just seems to me like, I don’t know if ‘evil’ is too strong a word, but what we know about pure evil is, it rejoices in the deaths, in the squandering of human life, particularly children,” Bono said as Rogan nodded along. “It actually rejoices in it, and whether it’s incompetence, whether it’s unintended consequences, it’s not too late.”

Bono is quite open in using terminology that might be considered religious and he is open about being Christian and reading his bible. He became friends with Eugene Peterson, translator of The Message version of scripture, even though,delightfully,  Peterson initially had no idea who Bono was. 

Bono was also a passionate spokeperson for the Jubilee 2000 global debt forgiveness program for developing nations. He worked with several presidents and billionaires in AIDS initiatives in Africa. He gets the issues and the influence the United States has. He also understands that the imperative of the gospel of Jesus Christ is justice and compassion. 

Rogan's podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, has 14.5 million followers on Spotify, so this is  quite a platform for Bono to give voice for the voiceless. Those 29 million ears, let them hear the proclamation of a present-day prophet.  

A Blessed and Ominous Friday

 O Most High, all-powerful, good Lord God,

to you belong praise, glory,
honour and all blessing.
Be praised, my Lord, for all your creation
and especially for our Brother Sun,
who brings us the day and the light;
he is strong and shines magnificently.
O Lord, we think of you when we look at him.
Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon,
and for the stars
which you have set shining and lovely
in the heavens.
Be praised, my Lord,
for our Brothers Wind and Air
and every kind of weather
by which you, Lord,
uphold life in all your creatures.

from the Canticle of Creation -- St Francis of Assisi

This morning Roman Catholics around the world are invited to participate in an online event to celebrate the ways in which they have responded to the challenge the late Pope Francis made to all Christians, those of other faiths, and all people of good will to care for the planet. This is the 10th anniversary of his encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home. While I won't join the event I am grateful for the legacy of both Saint Francis and Pope Francis and for all those who have responded during this decade. No doubt there is a tone of celebration and trepidation today. 

The lead on the CBC hourly news early this morning was the wildfires raging across the country resulting in evacuations and states of emergency in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Large areas of Canada are tinder dry and the beginning of wildfire season so early is unprecedented and almost certainly a result of climate change. While politicians are again pushing a fossil fuel agenda to strengthen our sovereignty and boost the Canadian economy we are literally going up in smoke. We are facing a moral, spiritual, and economic crisis and we must pray and act for the health and well-being of Creation.

Yesterday I went on a road trip with my brother  to visit an amazing guy, 95-years-old, who we've known since childhood. Jim was a water bomber pilot for decades and had adventures across Canada as well as seven other countries around the world. I kidded him that Manitoba was looking for pilots to fight the fires and he reminded us that he continued to qualify to fly until he was 87. We chatted about the extent of wildfires across the continent as a grim reality of our times. 

At the end of our visit I offered to pray, and he accepted readily. It was a tender moment and now I wonder if I should have included the safety of those who are being displaced and those who are responding to these conflagrations. 

I hope that there are plenty of points of light in today's Laudato Si event despite the ominous realities unfolding in so many places. 

Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Water,
who is very useful to us,
and humble and precious and pure.
Be praised, my Lord, for Brother Fire,
through whom you give us light in the darkness:
he is bright and lively and strong.
Be praised, my Lord,
for Sister Earth, our Mother,
who nourishes us and sustains us,
bringing forth
fruits and vegetables of many kinds
and flowers of many colours.
Be praised, my Lord,
for those who forgive for love of you;
and for those
who bear sickness and weakness
in peace and patience
- you will grant them a crown.
Be praised, my Lord, for our Sister Death,
whom we must all face.
I praise and bless you, Lord,
and I give thanks to you,
and I will serve you in all humility.

Bill 5 and Our Common Home

 

                                                             Ring Of Fire Region in Ontario

The Parliament of Canada resumed sitting earlier this week with all the pomp and circumstance of the presence of King Charles to read the Throne Speech. Here in Ontario the legislature will soon recess for the summer and the majority Ford Conservatives are determined to push through Bill 5, a wide-ranging and disturbing piece of legislation opposed by environment groups, First Nations, and opposition parties. 

Under the guise of responding to Trump tariffs, a real threat to be sure, the Conservatives want to dispense with environmental regulations, including the endangered species act, to speed up development of mines in the area known as the Ring of Fire in Ontario's North. A number of First Nations are sounding the alarm because while they want prosperity they have treaty rights which would be disregarded on the way to fast-track development. 

While the argument is that the legislation will protect sovereignty and encourage growth its been pointed out that extraction projects are always years, even decades, in the making apart from the supposed "red tape" of regulation. The Ring of Fire is in a remote region of the province and the infrastructure challenges would be immense. 

This seems to be one more example of Doug Ford's obsession with a limited view of the economy that doesn't take into account ecology, both words stemming from a root meaning "home" or "household." His outlook smacks of the 1950s and while he is now mouthing platitudes about consultation with Indigenous peoples he still offers up eye-rolling nonsense about the threat of radical environmentalists protecting grasshoppers. While Ford portrays himself as a Trump-slayer he often sounds like him.

In this week when the Roman Catholic church is acknowledging the tenth anniversary of Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home, the environmental encyclical of Pope Francis it is imperative to consider what "home" means. This is not about scare-mongering or short-term gain. We must take a Seven Generations outlook for the sake of those who will be affected by our decisions regarding care for Creation and responsible decisions regarding the Climate Crisis.

 As wildfires are raging in other parts of the country. It's time to wake up and smell the smoke.