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. 

Women & Laudato Si

 Laudato Si Week hasn't exactly taking over the news sources this week but there are a number of articles and opinion pieces offered during this time of reflection about the 10th anniversary of the environmental encyclical by the late Pope Francis. 

One important aspect is the absence of women in the overall picture of Creation Care, a subject thoughtfully explored by Christiana Zenner with the title Laudato Si' called all to climate action, but omitted women from the conversation. Zenner offers: 

Ten years after the release of "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home" — a document lauded for its promotion of integral ecology and the recognition that everything created by God is imbued with value and worth — the basic goal of engaging women in the development of official Catholic social teaching remains elusive. Despite Pope Francis rightly stating, "We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all," Laudato Si' and its follow-up teaching Laudate Deum failed to do just that when it comes to women. 

By disregarding current scientific approaches to the intersection of gender and ecology, neglecting to cite female scholars and omitting references to the work of women religious, Laudato Si' and Laudate Deum perpetuate "the women problem," which is to say they omit them. 

I realize that despite having read Laudato Si twice and leading study groups on the encyclical in 2015 and 2025 I had missed this. Francis and his team quoted the work of bishops on several continents but this is a boys club. Where are the voices of women?  

I follow several feeds from Christian organizations around the world addressing environmental issues in creatively practical ways. The accompanying photos of projects often show women who are spear-heading the work. Some of these initiatives address the provision of water for drinking and irrigation, "women's work" in many cultures. But as Zenner points out, there is important female scholarship that has essentially been disregarded. 

The Climate Emergency and Ecological theology is important for all humans and all creatures but these voices need to be heard and respected. 

Sarah Milgrim & the Third Narrative

                                                           Sarah Milgrim & Yaron Lischinsky

Concerning Retaliation

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say to you: Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also, and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give your coat as well, and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.  Give to the one who asks of you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

Matthew 5: 38-42 NRSVue Jesus of Nazareth

 One of the many terrible aspects of hatred is that it leads some individuals and nations to commit heinous acts that have little to do with their purported causes. Last week in Washington DC  a man who had no criminal record and held a decent job used a legally purchased handgun to kill a young couple he didn't know. He had some bizarre notion that murdering innocent people would somehow be a reprisal for the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza. 

Sarah Milgrim and her partner, Yaron Lischinsky were attending an inter-faith event  at the Capital Jewish Museum with the goal of "turning pain into purpose." Milgrim was already known for her engagement with organizations that brought together Christians and Jews and Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians. Her final master’s degree research project was on the role of cross-cultural friendships in peace-building.She had also worked with Arab and Palestinian communities through Tech2Peace, a joint Israeli-Palestinian NGO, which offers Palestinians access to high tech, entrepreneurship and new opportunities. 

Yasmina Asrarguis is French-Moroccan researcher at the Sorbonne who was a friend of Sarah Milgrim. Yasmina, a Muslim, and Sarah, a Jew, found common ground in seeking peace:

I learned Sarah was committed to a concept known as the “third narrative.” It’s a vision that seeks to rise above the noise of vengeance and violence by focusing instead on shared humanity and the mutual right to dignity, safety and peace for Jews and Muslims. This effort is about more than dialogue; it’s a deliberate stand against polarization. Sarah believed in creating a space for people to look for solutions.

I feel sorrow for the unrealized possibilities of the lives of Sarah and Yaron. Of course, the  man who killed them has snuffed out his own future, and to what end? Jesus understood the pointlessness of retaliation, that "third narrative," and some would consider his teaching naive, even absurd. Yet hatred is a death spiral. Will humanity ever learn? 

A Week of Care for Our Common Home

 

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe 

and in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,

that we may protect life and beauty.

Fill us with peace, that we may live

as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,

help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, 

so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,

that we may protect the world and not prey on it,

that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts

of those who look only for gain

at the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,

to be filled with awe and contemplation,

to recognize that we are profoundly united

with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle

for justice, love and peace. (from Laudato Si)

When I proposed a study group at Trenton United Church on the subject of the tenth anniversary of the Laudato Si encyclical I was aware, as we all were, that Pope Francis was in failing health. Our study dates were for late March and early April and by the end of the sessions Francis was gravely ill. He died on Easter Sunday just a few weeks before the Roman Catholic church entered into a week for celebration of this important ecological treatise, the most wide-ranging and sophisticated produced by any Christian denomination or organization. 

Saturday, May 24th, marked that decade since publication and during this week we are invited to worship, pray, and act on behalf of Creation. The United Church of Canada had its own Earth Week following Easter Sunday but we can all participate in this time as well. 

I was impressed by the participants in our group, all of whom were "grandparently" in age, myself included. They were eager to learn and passionate about "living with respect in Creation" a phrase added to what is our most beloved United Church statements of faith. 

During this week I will reflect on Laudato Si and why it is important for Protestants to pay attention to the message of Pope Francis. Here are the seven goals of the encyclical, all of them important and interconnected/ 

The Key to Relationships between Monarch & Indigenous Peoples

                                King Charles and Queen Camilla at Canada House this past Tuesday

 Tomorrow King Charles III and Queen Camilla will arrive in Canada for what will be Charles' 20th visit. On Tuesday he will deliver the Speech from the Throne for the opening of Parliament, an understated but direct reminder that Canada is not now nor never will be a 51st state. This is only the third time in Canadian history that the British monarch has done so in person. Of course, a lot of us aren't all that keen on our colonial past either, so take your pick. The Bloc Quebecois will be collectively washing its hair that day. 

Last Tuesday Charles and Camilla visited Canada House to mark the 100th anniversary of its presence on Trafalgar Square in London. Canadian High Commissioner to the U.K. Ralph Goodale, presented the monarch with a ceremonial key to Canada House a gesture reflecting the key given to  Charles’ great-grandfather, King George V. That key was made of Canadian bronze, silver and nickel when Canada House officially opened in June 1925.

The key given to King Charles last week marks a signficant moment for Indigenous people because it was created by Ts'msyen artist Morgan Asoyuf, who took the opportunity to elevate an important story from her home territory in Prince Rupert, B.C., the Raven 
Steals the Light.  This myth is most often attributed to Haida oral culture and shared by nations throughout what is now B.C. and Alaska. In a CBC report Morgan offers that" To be able to create this piece that is going up so high, politically... it was something that I sort of had to think about a lot..." 

Asoyuf notes the complex relationship Indigenous people have both with Canada and the Royal Family. The treaties signed with Indigenous nations across the country have never been extinguished and are cited regularly when "Crown Lands" are developed without permission or when proposals are made about changing political boundaries. First Nations have pointed out that the talk about Alberta sovereignty doesn't take into account these treaties, nor does the Ontario government's plans to open the Ring of Fire to mining exploration. 

There is also a spiritual element to the relationship between monarch and Indigenous groups. King Charles has a raft of titles including Defender of the Faith first bestowed on Henry VIII by a pope named Leo. That didn't work out well given that Charles is now the titular head of the Church of England. In the current absence of an Archbishop of Canterbury he temporarily has that role as well. So what are his religious and spiritual responsibilities to Indigneous peoples in the 21st century? 

I am more interested in this relationship than any ambivalent message being sent to Le Grande Orange. I hope all the levels of government in Canada will respectfully explore the key to Right Relationships when it comes to treaties and agreements, now and into the future. 

When I was young it was the custom to pray for our monarch, Queen Elizabeth II virtually every Sunday morning and we still sang God Save the Queen. On this Sunday I'll ask God to guide Charles in his role with Indigenous peoples in Commonwealth nations around the world. 

Migrations, Peregrinations, & Pilgrimages

 

 “Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars
    and spreads its wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
    and makes its nest on high?
28 It lives on the rock and makes its home
    in the fastness of the rocky crag.

               Job 39: 26-28 NRSVue

Are you old enough to remember reruns on television? In days of yore, long before streaming services, there were TV networks that would show repeats of prime-time dramas through the summer while the shows were in hiatus.

I realized the other day that World Migratory Bird Day had come and gone (May 10th) and it got me thinking about a blog entry from a few years ago in which I mused about the remarkable seasonal journeys of birds and compared this phenomenon to human migrations and spiritual pilgrimages. 

Coincidentally, I've read two novels recently that include the migration of sandhill cranes from Nebraska to various points north as part of the plotline. When we lived in Northern Ontario I would make a detour from my monthly Presbytery meeting in Espanola during May and October to search out these remarkable birds as they staged in fields on the shore of Georgian Bay. It was much more of a spiritual experience than the meetings. Last June we saw sandhill cranes on Haida Gwaii off BC as well. 

This is the theme for the Spring Migratory Bird Day --there is another in the Fall-- and beneath it is the blog I wrote in 2022, my version of the rerun. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that we have experienced the same migrating birds during this May despite it being the coldest in nearly 60 years. 

World Migratory Bird Day is a special day to celebrate these incredible birds and help protect them. This year, we’re focusing on making our cities, villages, towns, and communities, from rural to urban, more bird-friendly. In 2025, WMBD will raise awareness about the many challenges migratory birds face due to human activities and expanding urban development. The campaign will advocate for strategic urban planning and conservation efforts that incorporate bird-friendly practices, making sure that our communities become havens for these remarkable travelers. The 2025 theme encourages action from all sectors, including national and local governments, businesses, community groups, and individuals worldwide.

Sunday, May 15, 2022 Migratory Birds & Human Peregrinations

Yesterday we sat on our deck and watched as hummingbirds came to a feeder. It was  a wondrous sight for us geezers, as was the arrival at the same feeder by a Baltimore oriole several hours later while we were doing yard work. To top it all off a rose-breasted grosbeak showed up at another feeder later on. None of these species hang around for the summer at our place. They are on their way to an unknown destination for a summer of raising young before heading south in the Fall. 

It was fitting that yesterday was World Migratory Bird Day. We literally caught birds in the act of migrating to their seasonal homes. You may have heard the word "peregrination" to describe a journey, often on foot, sometimes purposeful and sometimes a ramble. There is a bird called the peregrine falcon and the name includes the notion of journey. If you search the word "peregrination" you will likely get a defintion along the lines of " a journey made by a pilgrim, a pilgrimage." 

Humans have always been inclined to migrate and I've wondered if religious or spiritual pilgrimages such as the Camino or the Haj are related to that compulsion to be on the move. Pilgrimages have often been demanding and even dangerous journeys with the risk of getting lost along the way -- the pilgrimage to Jerusalem by Jesus' family when he was a boy comes to mind. 

Still, these peregrinations or pilgrimages can have a profound effect on those who undertake them. Our son Isaac walked the 800+ kilometres of the Camino across France and Spain for a month when he was nineteen and I know that this journey shaped his Christian life then and to the present day. 

We may never embark on an arduous physical migration/peregrination yet we can always be intentional about our spiritual journeys. And we can enjoy those intrepid migrating birds, mysteriously guided by magnetic fields or the stars or whatever it is that compells them.