Bird-Brained with St. Francis, Again

 

                               Church of Reconciliation, Taize Christian Community, France 

This Sunday I will invite folk at Trenton United Church to give their attention to the birds around them during the season of Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday -- two weeks from today! Here is the announcement we'll share:

Bird-Brained with St. Francis in the Season of Lent

Last year you were invited to record sightings in the natural world/Creation on a calendar page for a month. What you saw and shared was wonderful!

This year marks the 800^th anniversary of the death of St. Francis who was said to preach to the birds and other creatures. 

So, we invite you to note the birds around you each day during Lent with a calendar page we will provide. 

Avian biologists remind us that we tend to take for granted the presence of birds and I think this is true. During the cold and snowy month of January our feeders were busy, seemingly endlessly, with a variety of bird species. We were forewarned of each storm by the intensity of activity. 

Two weeks ago we hosted a member of our family for a few days She is living with Alzheimer's Disease and her short term memory is gone but she is still her lovely self in the moment. She was enchanted by the feeders and asked us the same questions about the different birds and the seeds we deploy -- endlessly. Somehow this was okay, ensuring we didn't take our avian friends for granted!

As I looked for art images of St. Francis preaching to the birds I found this wonderful linocut by Sarah Fuller with the title, The Birds Preaching to St. Francis. Clever and true. The birds do deliver their sermons to an often bleak world, with courage and joy. 

Monks Walk for Peace in the USA

 

Most Canadians have been appalled by the chaos in the United States as brutal anti-immigration stormtroopers invade communities, often plucking people from homes, schools, places of work, even courthouses. While the resistance to what increasingly appears to be fascism without accountability grows there is a dark cloud of gloom hovering over a nation which claims to be a democratic beacon. Sadly, among those who support these draconian measures are Christian Nationalists, those on the religious right who invoke the name of Jesus in ways that ignore scripture, the teachings of Jesus, and the message of the cross. 

I was surprised to see that in the midst of this a group of Buddhist monks have been engaged in a 4,000 kilometre Walk for Peace that originated in Texas and will conclude in Washington DC. Their route has been lined with well-wishers, an important reminder that people desire demonstrations of love and peace in the midst of hatred and discord.

They are currently in Virginia dealing with the intense Winter storms of the past few days. I heard about this pilgrimage through a story about their sojourn through North Carolina. One of the monks went to a family lining the route and tied a bracelet around the wrist of a young boy. This simple act of kindness astonished the mother because her nine-year-old son is autistic and non-verbal. He often won't allow his parents to touch his body yet it seemsthere was something in the procession itself and in the act of gentle generosity that allowed this child to accept the gift. The mom posted a video on FaceBook and experienced a viral response. She said it also became a meaningful example of inclusion for people with autism.

It's encouraging to see that Christian churches have provided shelter and hospitality for the monks along the route. 

Here is a helpful description of what has unfolded since the Monks Walk for Peace began back in October, 2025: 

Key Aspects of the Walk:

• Origin & Goal: 

  Started by monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas in October 2025, it's a non-political journey to foster national healing and understanding.
• The Message: 

  To inspire peace, loving-kindness (mettā), and mindfulness, emphasizing that peace already exists within everyone.
• The Journey: 

  A 2,300-mile trek across multiple states, with planned stops at state capitols and landmarks.
• Community Engagement: 

  Monks interact with locals, offer blessings, and hold meditation sessions, drawing large, supportive crowds.
• Symbolism: 

  Accompanied by a dog named Aloka, and even after a tragic vehicle accident injured some monks, they continued, symbolizing resilience and non-hatred.
• Spiritual Practice: 

  It's a physical manifestation of Buddhist teachings, a living example of peace rather than a protest.

Public Response:

• The walk has gained massive social media traction, with millions following their progress.
• People have been deeply moved, finding hope and a connection to universal values through the monks' actions.

The Light of St. Brigid

 

There are two patron saints in Ireland -- Patrick and Columcille/Columba -- and one matron saint, Brigid. Yesterday, February 1st, was Brigid's Day and it's only been a few years that this was an official holiday in Ireland. 

As with other Celtic saints, the facts about Brigid are lost in the mists of time with many legends emerging through the centuries. Some believe this Christian figure was coopted from Brigid the Druidic goddess and we really don't know for sure. Brigid the abbess and possible bishop is lauded for her leadership and example as a proto-feminist figure. 

This year I wonder if we should celebrate Brigid for her matriarchal role in the midst of a patriarchal church. It is evident that south of the border there is a concerted effort to reassert an unhealthy and non-biblical male dominance in Christianity with plenty of "theobros" holding forth about the secondary role of women. While they use phoney terms such as "complementarianism" it sounds more like subservience. This language has filtered into segments of Christianity in Canada as well. 

We need to find our way in what seems like the darkness of these days. Part of Brigid's legend is that when she built her monastery and church in Kildare she continued a pre-Christian custom of keeping a fire alight. For her and her nuns the fire represented the new light of Christianity. 

Christ is the light for every age and we can keep the flame of hope burning. 

                                                                   St. Brigid's Well, Killdare

Here From the Beginning in the United Church

 Today marks the beginning of Black History Month in Canada. In the past I've blogged about jazz great Oscar Peterson's early years in the United Church in Montreal, as well as Wilbur Howard, the first and only Black moderator of the United Church who faced plenty of racism within the denomination. In 1990 Nelson Mandela and his wife Winnie visited Union United Church in Montreal, a congregation formed when Blacks were not allowed in White churches. 

I've written about Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1959 appearance on the Canadian quiz show, Front Page Challenge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbBGsEprJSE

There is plenty of Black history in the United Church and Canada but it tends to be relegated to the background. There is an exhibit called Here From the Beginning  https://herefromthebeginning.ca/  that is on the move across the country which may help to address this. While it actually began last Summer in Edmonton it will be Collingwood, Ontario today and tomorrow. Here is a description: 

This groundbreaking exhibition offers visitors a unique opportunity to discover the rich and resilient history of Black people within The United Church of Canada. Through stories of leadership, struggle, and triumph, the exhibition highlights the indelible mark left by Black individuals and communities on the church’s history, work, and calling.

There are 23 bilingual exhibit panels include topics such as: British North America and Nouvelle France: A look at Black communities before 1900, Discomfort in the House of God: Examining the challenges of inclusion, Standing Against Anti-Black Racism: Stories of resilience and activism and Black Clergy Network: Presenting the future of Black leadership in the church.

I don't know where the other stops will be for the exhibition but it sounds as though it is very worthwhile and an important reminder that while the United Church has been predominantly White in the experience of many of us, diversity is part of our fabric through the first 100 years of our existence.

Here is a link to Black History Month resources from the United Church of Canada:

https://united-church.ca/worship-special-days/black-history-month-1

https://united-church.ca/worship-special-days/black-history-month-1

                                                            Oscar Peterson with his sister, Daisy

Barn Owls for Peace?

                                               Jordanian farmer with a barn owl. (Photo by Hagai Aharon)

 Everywhere we look and listen these days it seems that bad news is the only news. I had something of an antidote last week when I joined another excellent webinar from the UCLA Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. I have benefitted from a number of webinars with excellent presenters on various aspects of Middle East geopolitics including a brilliant explanation of what has unfolded in Iran.

The webinar last week was The Barn Owl Project: An Ecological Solution in Agriculture for Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians. If this sounds excruciatingly nerdy Ruth would agree and she slipped away before it even began. I found it informative and, dare I say it, hopeful. 

I've shared before that Israel is along the Rift Valley faultline stretching from the south of Africa to Europe and it is the flight path for half a billion migratory birds twice each year. It is a magnificent spectacle but fraught with peril for a number of reasons including habitat loss and the detrimental effects of pesticides on raptors. 

The webinar was about a project to introduce barn owls in Israel and other countries as natural rodent control so that farmers are less dependent on chemical pesticides. The Barn Owl Project involves farmers, the military, school groups and more and it has grown with great success. Here is the webinar blurb: 

Professor Yossi Leshem will discuss a groundbreaking initiative—begun in Israel and expanded to its neighbors—in which Barn Owls are used as biological pest-control agents of rodents in agriculture. The owls have significantly reduced the use of pesticides in agricultural fields, which severely harm wildlife and migratory birds. The Jordanians and Palestinians joined this project in 2002, and it has been highly successful from both an environmental perspective and in connecting peoples and religions within this region of conflict. In light of the project’s success, it has been joined by other countries around the world, including Morocco, Switzerland, Ukraine, Georgia, Italy, Germany, Zimbabwe, Cyprus, Greece, and the United States. Leshem will also describe the unique position of Israel as a locus of bird migration, where 500 million birds migrate from Europe and West Asia to Africa and back over Israel twice a year, which allows for many scientific studies on bird migration and protection.

It was wonderful to hear of school groups made up of Jews and Christians and Muslims enthusiastically learning about and supporting the project. Before the terrible events of October 7 2023 farmers would cross borders to learn from one another and the owls themselves find mates in Israel, Jordan, and th Palestinian territories. While barn owls have traditionally been considered bad luck in Arab cultures the project has changed the perspective.

Leshem, now approaching 80, has presented the barn owl initiative to global leaders, including the late U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the late  Pope Francis.

At the beginning of the webinar Dr. Leshem showed an image of a barn owl with an olive branch rather than a dove as a symbol of peace. Why not? The peace dove seems to be ailing and we need all the positive images we can find these days. 

The Rev. Dr. Bruce McLeod & the Human Family

 

At least 30 years ago when I was minister of St. Andrew's United Church in Sudbury I was the presenter to a group of community leaders about a joint outreach project although I can't recall the specifics. I wanted to emphasize that while our society was inclined to build walls between the rich and poor we shared our planet and our humanity. 

I wanted to illustrate this so I reached out to former United Church Moderator the Very Rev. Dr. Bruce McLeod who served in that role during the early 1990s. McLeod was both affable and abrasive at times, willing to be outspoken and provocative. He was a congregational minister, an activist, and an aspiring politician. 

I knew Dr. McLeod  had a painting called The Family of Man which he had commissioned from Canadian artist William Kurelek, the same painter whose work I included in a blog earlier this week. That snowy street scene has Kurelek's family in the foreground and Bruce picked up the painting from the artist's house 

                                                            The Family of Man -- William Kurelek

In this painting Jesus is walking on the water in the background toward a the sinking ship of the world with a brick wall separating the haves from the have-nots. The back end is sinking, but none will survive. In the foreground is Bruce McLeod with his hands upraised.

I tracked Bruce down by phone and he enthusiastically offered to send me an image via email. I printed it and used it for my presentation.  Not long ago this interaction came to mind -- who knows why --  and I discovered that Dr. Mcleod was still feistily alive at the age of 96. Then, only a few days later, he wasn't. 

Here is an excerpt from the obituary provided online by the United Church. The Man Alive interview is worth watching. The quote below is from an interview last year in Broadview magazine: 

Rev. Dr. McLeod served as Moderator of the United Church from 1972–1974. During his term he travelled extensively throughout Canada. In 1973, he was the subject of an episode of CBC’s Man Alive, with host Roy Bonisteel, who spent a day with the then-new 44-year-old moderator of The United Church of Canada, seen by some as the church’s voice for a new generation. 

“The world is not empty and purposeless. There’s something going on here,” he told Broadview in an interview published in April last year. “And it is not a neutral presence! It’s a presence that got the whole thing rolling, out of love, and delighted in what was made. That presence is still here, and it knows our names, and sometimes wakes us in the night and says, ‘Why aren’t you up and doing?’”

 

Same-Gender Marriage in Canada at 25

Anne (left) and Elaine Vautour were married alongside Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell in a groundbreaking ceremony in Toronto 25 years ago this week. Richard Lautens/Toronto Star file photo

 I was a bit surprised, in a "time flies" way, to read that it was 25 years ago this month that two same-gender couples were married in Toronto, a first in Canada. They were married at Metropolitan Community Church in Toronto before the legislation allowing such marriages in this country using a provision called Publishing the Banns. 

In 2001, Pastor Brent Hawkes used this legal loophole, an ancient Christian tradition still allowed in Ontario, to marry the couples. At the time, same-sex couples could not obtain marriage licences from municipal clerks, but the Ontario Marriage Act allowed couples to be granted a licence if their names were published and read out within a service of worship at church for three Sundays in a row. i think I was asked about this provision only once in the early 1980s near the beginning of my ministry. 

Lo and behold, these two couples are still married a quarter century later, acknowledging that there have been ups and downs, joys and sorrows, as is the way of long-term marriage. 

In an article I read about the 25th anniversary this paragraph stood out: 

... the landscape for same-sex marriage in Canada has evolved considerably. Anne and Elaine’s extended family now regards them simply as “the aunts,” reflecting a growing acceptance of LGBTQ+ relationships. As they celebrate their silver anniversary, the Vautours and Bourassa-Varnell continue to embody the essence of love and commitment, demonstrating that their marriages were not just about making a political statement, but about cherishing one another.

While there are still people including lots of Christians who are opposed to same-gender/sex marriage, I do feel that Canadian society has changed and for the better.