A Simple Hallowe'en Prayer

God of all spirits
in this world and beyond,
we thank you for this eve before
the feasts of All Hallows.
Bless all tricksters and treat-givers,
Blues Brothers and brides,
ghosts and goblins,
princesses and pirates,
spectres and superheroes,
(and any ones I've missed)
and keep them safe and happy
until they come out again next Hallowe'en.
And all you holy men and women
that we remember on All Saints'
and All Souls' days,
pray for us.
+Amen.

Chilly walks

We've come to that time of year when the leaves are pretty much gone, the wind is cold, and Shadow has had his annual pro haircut to get him through the winter. He'd much rather stay in Julia's bed than go for a morning walk, but I know better than to let him sleep all day and drive us crazy with puppy energy at night. Here are a few pics from our last few walks...

Hardly a leaf left

just a few on the columnar aspens...

Is it my imagination, or does it look cold?

A wider view

Nosing around on the frosty ground...

An almost empty canopy on my favourite street

I love how the tamaracks turn yellow from the inside out...

Ducks enjoying the old beaver dam...

the river is low... it was a dry summer...

After checking out the ducks, Shadow is happy to head home...

to his favourite sunbeam!

Laudato Si: Sunday Reflection #14... We are all Noah

I remember how much I loved Bible stories as a kid... and this week's segment of Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home mentions a few of them as we continue with The Wisdom of the Biblical Accounts, paragraphs 70-75 this time (they can be accessed by clicking here). The thing with Bible stories is that, for children, they're great stories, but as we grow into adulthood, we see that they are much more than meets the eye because of their many layers of meaning.

We are reminded of the story of Cain and Abel in paragraph 70. In childhood, it was a story about giving God the best we have and looking after each other, but for Pope Francis and his writing team, it is a cautionary tale, illustrating that

Disregard for the duty to cultivate and maintain a proper relationship with my neighbour, for whose care and custody I am responsible, ruins my relationship with my own self, with others, with God and with the earth. When all these relationships are neglected, when justice no longer dwells in the land, the Bible tells us that life itself is endangered.

(If you ever want to read a thought-provoking and challenging book with a very interesting take on the story of Cain and Abel (and a lot of the other cultural myths that have affected humanity) I'd highly recommend Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit, a novel by Daniel Quinn (Bantam 1992, ISBN 0-553-37549-7). I don't reread very many books, but this one has been haunting me lately, which tells me I should probably reread it. If you want more details, feel free to drop me a line...)

The story of Noah is mentioned as another cautionary tale, just before we hear Laudato Si's main refrain for the second time: "These ancient stories, full of symbolism, bear witness to a conviction which today we share, that everything is interconnected, and that genuine care for our own lives and our relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice and faithfulness to others." I just wish we had shared this conviction from the get go -- the earth wouldn't be as messed up if we had been more interested in preserving all its interconnection rather than feeding human greed.

What I really like in paragraph 71 is the line, "All it takes is one good person to restore hope!" Referring, of course, to Noah's willingness to stand out from the crowd to do what God asked. Didn't you love that story as a kid? The guy who went against the grain, building a mammoth boat while all his neighbours laughed, loading on the animals and waiting for rain in an heroic effort to save creation -- except I always felt sad that the people around Noah didn't understand the need to change. Still, it's a good story with a beautiful, rainbow ending, one that we can only work and pray for with our current environmental crisis.

Another beautiful piece of these early Scriptures was the idea of Sabbath, or a day of rest, and giving the earth a break to "ensure balance and fairness" for the earth and its inhabitants, especially "the poor and the sojourner" (paragraph 71). This was carried further in what's called Shemitah, leaving the land fallow for in the seventh year to allow it to replenish itself and allowing those who work the soil to take a break and follow more "spiritual pursuits." And then, after seven times seven years, there was to be a jubilee year in which everyone took a break from work and forgave debts and started fresh once again.

Of course, in our crazy consumer culture, we shop just as hard on our Sabbaths as we do other days of the week, never mind take the seventh day, the seventh year, or a jubilee year off. It's been over thirty years since our stores were given the right to stay open on Sundays in Canada, and for many city dwellers, it requires true effort to keep any day holy and restful when family members with retail positions have to work. How do you keep Sabbath?

Laudato Si then jumps to the Psalms, which exhort us and all creatures to sing praise and adoration of the God who lives with and beside us. Paragraph 72 is pretty weak when it comes to the emotion, poetry, power and depth of the way the Psalms can be prayed to express our relationship with God, but as they are quoted throughout Pope Francis' letter to the world, it's probably enough just to mention them.

In paragraph 73 the "prophets invite us to find renewed strength in times of trial by contemplating the all-powerful God who created the universe.... the God who liberates and saves is the same God who created the universe, and these two divine ways of acting are intimately and inseparably connected." The encyclical team closes paragraph 73's musings about the prophets with a quote from Isaiah, who reminds us that God "gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless." Just what we need to hear after reading all of the earth's problems Pope Francis listed in Chapter one that might leave us feeling overwhelmed.

The Babylonian captivity, when the people of Israel were forced out of their homeland to live in exile for almost 70 years, is mentioned in paragraph 74 as an example of a time of trial and persecution that led to a deeper faith in God. God's "creative omnipotence was given pride of place in order to exhort the people to regain their hope in the midst of their wretched predicament," and the same thing happened in the early Christian era when the followers of Christ found themselves persecuted by the Roman Empire.

What's interesting to me is that all of these examples of the trials and struggles of believers throughout the Bible are held up as examples to us who face the trials and struggles that have come about because of the overuse of creation's resources through rampant consumerism and human greed. Clearly, we are in similar straits, a time when we can glean some encouragement from the way that our ancestors came through trying times by trusting in God and doing what they could.

Paragraph 75 points out that "A spirituality which forgets God as all-powerful and Creator is not acceptable. That is how we end up worshipping earthly powers, or ourselves usurping the place of God, even to the point of claiming an unlimited right to trample [God's] creation underfoot." Our forgetfulness of the fact that we are not God and that everything is gift, as I mentioned last week, has gotten us into this mess. Remembering that we are only one of God's interconnected creatures and living as though everything in our lives is a gift would go a long way toward cleaning it up. Or as the last lines of paragraph 75 say, "The best way to restore men and women to their rightful place, putting an end to their claim of absolute dominion over the earth is to speak once more of a... [God] who creates and who alone owns the world. Otherwise, human beings will always try to impose their own laws and interests on reality."

But I'm going back to the last lines of paragraph 74 for the last words in this Sunday's reflection: "The God who created the universe out of nothing can also intervene in this world and overcome every form of evil. Injustice is not invincible."

Injustice is not invincible! Especially if we are aware that We are all Noah. Every last one of us. We are called to see the wrongs around us, and to take a stand against them. Because injustices are ingrained in our culture, we may have to become counter-cultural, to appear a little crazy for a time in order to draw attention to the particular injustices to which our sleeping world has become immune. I doubt we'll have to build an Ark, but we might have to do something even harder in this day and age -- to be vocal about our choice NOT to shop on Sunday, or NOT to take flamboyant vacations in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are struggling to feed themselves and their families. To NOT buy the latest cool but unnecessary gadget or NOT to support a company that sells genetically modified foods. In other words, to BE A SIGN, a role model, and an example of doing the just thing -- even if it's only our families and friends who might notice what we're doing.

How will you be a Noah in the week ahead? For the rest of your days?

*******

A prayer for our earth

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.

+AMEN.

(A prayer for our earth and all quotations from Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home © Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Next up: #15... Changing ourselves and our world

Praying for Change

This Sunday evening there will be a wonderful prayer vigil in the lead up toward the December climate talks in Paris. There are several Christian communities involved in its organization, and the centre piece will be a special Taizé Prayer for Ecological Justice. I know of quite a few people planning to attend, and I hope that if you're able, you will, too. The building is accessible for people with disabilities, and the music promises to be wonderful. Bring a friend and come to pray and take action in Creating a Climate of Change for the sake of our planet...

The laughing letter carrier

He's still out there, making his rounds. This morning, Shadow and I were walking the same neighbourhood where we found him back in April, and he's still laughing. Today I stopped him as he came back from a home to the main sidewalk and asked what was in his earbuds.

"I listen to podcasts. Comedy," he said.

"I love to hear your bursts of laughter as you walk along," I said. "It makes my day happier."

He looked a bit embarrassed, but also pleased. "Have a nice walk," he said, continuing down the sidewalk.

"You too."

We elected a new Prime Minister and lots of different members of parliament in Canada yesterday. I wonder how Canada Post (and other things) will fare with new leadership... I guess time will tell how much longer the laughing letter carrier will have his happy route.

Simple Suggestion #91 revisited... Vote!

Almost exactly four years ago, voting was on the mind of Canadians because of a federal election. Today we've reached that same point. Unfortunately, too many people in our country don't vote because they don't feel it makes any difference -- they think politicians will do what politicians will do.

But I'm looking at the excitement of my daughters, neices and nephews, all of whom were engaged in this run up to today's political process, all of whom will cast their first vote in a national election. One of our girls has brought a petition to our MP and knows exactly who she is voting for. Would that we were all so engaged!

With so many places in the world where citizens have no say in how their country is led, we can't take voting for granted. Our elected Members of Parliament are there to listen to us, especially if we engage them. Please make sure to vote today.

My moodling from 4 years ago still holds:

October 19, 2011

As I write this, I am listening to a radio report about the first free vote in Tunisia in some peoples' lifetimes. The young woman they just interviewed was so excited to be able to vote, she couldn't sleep the night before. With her in spirit, my almost-eighteen-year-old daughter is chomping at the bit to vote. Would that all Canadians were like these two!

What non-voters don't seem to understand is that we have no right to complain about government or civic leaders if we do nothing when it comes to their election. We are blessed to live in a country where we have the right to vote, but if we're too apathetic to engage in the democratic process or talk to our politicians about what's really important, corporate greed may yet win over human need.

At the moment, the jury's still out as to which will come out on top. But our vote can remind our leaders that we all need clean air, fresh water and good soil to support the web of life on our planet. We can tell them that we ALL deserve a roof over our heads, clothes to keep us warm, food to sustain us, and community to support us. We can let them know that extravagance and greed are non-essentials, and encourage the positive works our politicians undertake. But if we're silent, they can't read our minds.

We ALL need to vote, engage, and join the discussion, for our sake and the sake of future generations. It's that simple.

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.

Laudato Si: Sunday Reflection #13... We are not God(!)

Pope Francis actually put the sentence, "We are not God" into this week's reading from Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home (you can see for yourself by clicking here and scrolling down to the first sentence in paragraph 67). When I read it the first time around, I laughed and said aloud, "No kidding!"

It's definitely there, perhaps because the Pope and his encyclical writers think that we human beings need the reminder, or need to be taken down a few pegs.

In fact, I find myself quite irritated while reading this section of Laudato Si, called The Wisdom of the Biblical Accounts, probably because I question the wisdom of some of the writing in the book of Genesis. I have no problem with God creating light and darkness and everything else and calling it all good. My problem is that it seems as though the Scriptures are saying that human beings are the only ones created in God's image and likeness. If that's not human self-promotion, I don't know what is. In my books, every bit of creation is the way God shows us his and her image and likeness, and that's more than enough reason to hold all of it, not only humans, in reverence and respect!

But then the writer of that first book in the Bible makes things even worse by putting these words in God's mouth at the end of the sixth day: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." (Gen 1:28b)

The words aren't the problem as much as the fact that too much of the last 200 years of human history has taken those words literally, and subsequent human subjugation of and dominion over creation has created too many extinct species and too much decimated land. Some of us have played God without God's wisdom, not realizing that some of the things we do will have harsher impacts than we can foresee.

I get ahead of myself. This week we are looking at paragraphs 65- 69 of Laudato Si, which can be accessed by clicking here. I know that I too am a member of the human race, and I know I am beloved by God, as is pointed out in paragraph 65: "Saint John Paul II stated that the special love of the Creator for each human being "confers upon him or her an infinite dignity".... How wonderful is the certainty that each human life is not adrift in the midst of hopeless chaos, in a world ruled by pure chance or endlessly recurring cycles!" However, the encyclical's assertion that we are all conceived in the heart of God needs to be applied to all of God's creation all the time (even when it's not particularly convenient for human beings). I would argue that the chickadee outside my window is also the result of a thought of God and should be accorded dignity on that basis as much as I am. Therefore, using pesticides to control bugs that the chickadee likes to eat is a sin, right? And not just because that pesticide might travel through the food chain to us human beings...

Our broken relationships with God, our neighbours and the earth are the focus of paragraph 66. Sin is the disruption of those relationships, the disintegration of harmony, the disruption of the web of life. Our distortion of God's words in the book of Genesis has created a rift between human beings and nature that desperately needs to be reconciled. After Jesus, Saint Francis was one of the first to notice the lack of harmony and try to make up for it, and I sometimes wonder if his sermons to the animals weren't one big apology on behalf of the human race, with a reminder that God loved all creatures better than human beings seemed to.

In addition to reminding us that "We are not God," paragraph 67 also says, "Although it is true that we Christians have at times incorrectly interpreted the Scriptures, nowadays we must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God's image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures." Ahh, this finally makes me a little happier with this section. It goes on to explain that Scripture exhorts us to care for, protect, oversee and preserve our earth and its fruitfulness for those who follow after us. It also reminds us that the earth belongs to God and our claims to ownership of anything really aren't valid, though we seem to forget that on a regular basis. Can you name any of your so-called possessions that aren't actually a gift from God, directly or indirectly?

We "must respect the laws of nature and the delicate equilibria existing between the creatures of this world" (paragraph 68), and take special care not to take advantage of the creatures with which we share creation. Here's where the Wisdom of the Biblical accounts comes into play, noting scripture passages that underline the importance of humane treatment of all God's creatures, even those that are considered work animals. This section is most concerned that we see that "the Bible has no place for a tyrannical anthropocentrism unconcerned for other creatures." I wonder how many in the animal kingdom are reaching extinction because of the climate events caused by our overuse of fossil fuels.

"By virtue of our unique dignity and our gift of intelligence, we are called to respect creation and its inherent laws," says paragraph 69. I'm not sure I understand what follows. See what you think:

In our time, the Church does not simply state that other creatures are completely subordinated to the good of human beings, as if they have no worth in themselves and can be treated as we wish. The German bishops have taught that, where other creatures are concerned, "we can speak of the priority of being over that of being useful." 

Is this saying that in the past we weren't so enlightened? That we only looked at other creatures because of their usefulness? Wise elders among our First Nations brothers and sisters have been closer to the truth in their respect for nature, and we have so much to learn from those who seldom lost sight of the fact that "Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things." This phrase comes from the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is also a tenet of original First Nations culture, one that our North American cultures have somehow forgotten because of consumerist tendencies. 

I have to repeat that last line, but I'll make it inclusive because non-inclusive language drives me a little crazy: "[Humans] must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things". 

Ah, here's the whole point: what does it look like to "avoid any disordered use of things" in my life? I think of the over 300 elephants poached with cyanide this week in Zimbabwe, and the hundreds, if not thousands of other animals (baby elephants, lions, hyenas, vultures, kudus and water buffalo), who were also poisoned and died at the same watering holes and salt licks. Those lives were worth far more than the £300 the poachers got for each pair of elephant tusks, or the £10,000 that South African dealers paid for a set of "fresh ivory"... Clearly, the human desire for baubles and bangles must go. 

Though I don't drive the ivory trade in any way, shape or form, if I didn't wear earrings or other unnecessary ornaments, animals might have healthier habitats that are less polluted by mines. I also suspect that I eat and use products made from animals that are raised in inhumane conditions. It's possible to get ethical products by dealing directly with small-scale producers if I do a little research and go further than my local grocery chain or big box store for the most convenient items. And when I waste electricity or other forms of energy, I'm contributing to unnecessary fossil fuel emissions that change environments and habitats for creatures all over the world. 

As always, it's a matter of awareness, of recognizing that every consumer choice we make matters in one way or another, and choosing the best option every time. Do we really have to put round up on our autumn dandelions?

Where do you find a "disordered use of things" in your life? How can we change our lives to improve care for all God's creatures?

*******

A prayer for our earth

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.

+AMEN.

(A prayer for our earth and all quotations from Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home © Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Next up: #14... We are all Noah

Simple Suggestion #241... Reduce and reuse those single-use items

I've been thinking a lot about plastic bags lately, mainly because I'm down to my last three recycled bread bags since so much food has been processed or baked and put into the freezer or fridge lately. After watching The Clean Bin Project a few months ago, I find myself looking carefully at every bag, determining whether it's reusable or too holey, and feeling regretful any time I have to throw one out because it's come to the end of its usefulness.

And I'm the same way about a lot of other single-use things. Disposable cups, forks, knives, spoons, napkins (my friend, Supersu, gifts people with these great little portable sets complete with cloth napkin that can go anywhere with her and her friends). Then there are cottage cheese containers, excellent for storing left-overs. Plastic vegetable trays (I'll never buy a full one from Costco again when it's possible to refill it myself!) Ball point pens (why don't they all come with refills?) and markers. Heck, I even use my insulin needles and blood testing lancets more than a few times, much to the horror of some healthcare professionals (but hey, I'm the only one using mine)! And I refuse to buy a coffee unless I have my travel mug along because there's not much worse than seeing single use Tim Horton's and Starbucks garbage blowing down the street. It's the same with getting groceries -- no reusable bags? Take only what I can can carry without the store-offered plastic ones. Their average lifespan is maybe twenty single-use minutes (or less)!

We've become such a disposable society that refusing to use disposables is odd, unusual, strange and counter-cultural. If I was any good at Photoshop, I'd come up with a line of "Rebel with a Cause" posters featuring James Dean with a travel mug on his motorbike. Or maybe Madonna, the original "Material Girl" with a rag bag. I'm sure if I put my thinking cap on, there'd be dozens of other possibilities. How about a "Keep Calm and Reuse (and reuse, and reuse...)" Poster?

Anyway, today's challenge is to look around life and actually see the single-use items that our parents or grandparents never took for granted, but washed and used again, and washed and used again -- and do the same. And in the same vein, not to allow too many of those things into our lives in the first place.

I really ought to get back to baking my own bread, come to think of it...

Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Click here.

Laudato Si Sunday Reflection #12... Gratitude, not greed

This weekend is Thanksgiving (in Canada), and it strikes me once again that our global climate crises all stem from the fact that human beings have forgotten how to appreciate and be thankful for the many, many blessings we receive from God, who created our sister, Mother Earth. Unfortunately, in our forgetfulness, we act as though we are the masters of the universe, and imagine that we are entitled to more than our earth can logically provide to each person on the planet. Most of earth's ills can be traced back to greed...

This week's reading of paragraphs 60-64 of Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home (click here to access it) is a wrap up of Chapter One, What is Happening to Our Common Home, and a brief introduction to Chapter Two, The Gospel of Creation.

Paragraph 60 points out two extremes of opinions regarding how to deal with the ecological problems our earth is facing, one being the myth that progress and technology will solve all our problems, and the other the idea that human presence, impact and intervention on earth needs to end. Of course, the answers lie somewhere in between. The trick to living well is always finding the right balance, the place of sufficiency rather than too much or too little.

Now that we've made it through Chapter One, we can see the many ways that "our common home is falling into serious disrepair" (paragraph 61) and some may wonder why the Church thinks it has anything to say about these matters. Looking at all these ecological and social problems, Pope Francis explains that perhaps it is necessary to call out to a faith community that understands the importance of hope in finding the way out, redirecting our steps, and solving our problems before we reach the breaking point.

Clearly, our present way of life is unsustainable because human beings have substituted the artificial goals of our markets and consumerism for our true values of relationship and community. 'Having more' has often been mistaken for 'being more,' but if we want to live well on our finite planet, a return to our true values is critically important. If I'm reading the world correctly, more and more of us are attempting to simplify our lifestyles in an attempt to slow "the rapid pace of change and degradation" simply because the breaking point is a scary place to live!

I was hoping, when I read the title of Chapter Two, The Gospel of Creation, that there would be a little explanation of the word 'gospel.' Many people don't realize that it simply means, 'good news.' I think this is significant, because in paragraph 62, the idea that "science and religion can enter into an intense dialogue fruitful for both" is mentioned. Science's logical approach when combined with religion's faith-based hope in good news has more of an opportunity to 'make things right' than either could alone. It's kind of like my own relationship with my husband. He's the engineer, the scientist, the logician who works with his head, and I am the elementary school teacher, the facilitator, dealing in gut practicalities. Together, we're an excellent team, if I do say so myself, because we bring different gifts and talents to bear on our marriage's challenges. Likewise, science and religion can find balanced solutions to earth's problems by working together, science's thought processes with religion's belief in the good.

Pope Francis is insistent when he says that we need more than one way of looking at the complexities of our ecological crises -- "no branch of sciences and no form of wisdom can be left out, and that includes religion and the language particular to it. The Catholic Church is open to dialogue with philosophical thought; this has enabled her to produce various syntheses between faith and reason. The development of the Church's social teaching represents such a synthesis with regard to social issues; this teaching is called to be enriched by taking up new challenges" (paragraph 63).

Huh? The Church's social teaching? If you're like me, you may or may not have heard about it, and could use a little more explanation, so I looked it up. The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace has a wonderful webpage that lists ten principles of Church social teaching and gives examples of how they are being applied. Take a few moments to check them out -- they have so much to say about how our world should and could work.

My one wish in regard to the principles is that the Church had worded them a little differently, so that every one of them would be applicable not only to human life, but also to the life of all God's creatures, all of creation. Where possible, our focus on humanity's needs should not preclude the lives of other living beings in God's creation, but sometimes, the way we talk, it's as though human life is far more important than any other life on our planet -- and the reality is that we are only one part of a huge web of life that is dependent on creatures living together in harmony. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as the most important beings on earth and give some thought to the possibility that God might love the whales or the lady bugs just as much as God loves me. We don't really know, do we?

Faith is supposed to shed light in dark places (remember my one little candle from a few weeks ago?), and Laudato Si reminds us that faith convictions can offer Christians and other believers "ample motivation to care for nature and for the most vulnerable of [our] brothers and sisters" (paragraph 64). In his message for the 1990 Day of World Peace, St. Pope John Paul II spoke of how Christians "realize that [our] responsibility within creation, and [our] duty toward nature and the Creator are an essential part of [our] faith." When our faith moves us to act responsibly, there is always hope.

And when we remember that all of creation is a gift into which we have been born, there is always gratitude, which prevents us from taking things for granted. Perhaps that's the thing to hold onto this Canadian Thanksgiving, and to remember to celebrate gratefully, without overdoing it. I suspect that the best way to show our thanks to God for all our blessings is to use them wisely, and too much turkey is never wise (especially for turkeys!) The value in our celebration is not in our table decorations or fancy desserts -- it's in our appreciation of the flavours and the friendships that bring us enjoyment.

For what are you most thankful this Thanksgiving? And what's one thing you can do to show that gratitude to our hurting world?

I know I've posted the video below more than once, but to me, it's a gorgeous reminder of our many blessings. Have a blessed, greed-free, grateful Thanksgiving!

*******

A prayer for our earth

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.

+AMEN.

(A prayer for our earth and all quotations from Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home © Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Next up: #13... We are not God(!)

Taize Thanksgiving Prayer Sunday October 11th is CANCELLED

It's impossible to know how to reach everyone who might want to attend Sunday's Taize Prayer at St. Thomas D'Aquin, but it turns out that there won't be enough musicians available to lead the prayer. If you know anyone who was planning to attend, please pass the word along.

Heartfelt apologies to those who might not receive this news. Hopefully we'll all meet again soon.

Upcoming Taize Prayer events

Because of the Laudato Si Sunday reflections, I haven't been moodling about Taizé very much this fall, but Taizé Prayer events are still happening. Here are the details about three events planned for October...

A student's group is starting Taizé Prayer on campus at the University of Alberta. Their first prayer will take place at 5 p.m., Friday, October 9th at St. Joe's College Chapel (west end of the college) on 113 Street and 89 Ave. You don’t have to be a student to join them!

The next monthly prayer (for Thanksgiving) IS CANCELLED on Sunday, October 11th at 7 p.m. at St. Thomas D'Aquin Catholic Church (8410 89 Street).

And last but not least, Concordia University, King's University (Micah Centre), and the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace are teaming up to host a Prayer Vigil for Ecological Justice on October 25th at 7 p.m. at Concordia University (7128 Ada Boulevard). This is a wonderful opportunity to pray together for our planet's needs and to take action to encourage world leaders to make wise decisions at December's Climate Change Summit in Paris.

All are welcome to all of these events, to join us in prayer for justice and peace... Bring a friend!

Singing on the bus

I've carried my guitar on the bus many times this year, but it was different on Friday.

As I stepped onto the 94, the driver grinned and said, "Free ride if you play something."

"Really," I said, but stuffed my ticket into the fare box anyway, and shuffled down the bus to an empty seat.

"You wouldn't be the first to take me up on it," he called after me. "Maybe a little something by Joan Baez."

"I don't think I have any of her music in my repertoire," I said.

"Well, something else then," he suggested. "Anything."

I sat there for a few minutes, thinking, my heart racing with mild anxiety. Should I or shouldn't I? An invitation like that doesn't come along every day. I could let it slide -- because no one really expects me to do it -- and just have a peaceful ride all the way to the university. Or I could do something extraordinary and accept a challenge, sing a song on the bus, get my voice warmed up, entertain people on a boring route, and have a good story to tell my family when I get home. But there's no place to manoeuvre my guitar case open...

The bus driver had given up on me and was carefully picking his way through a school zone when I moved my guitar case onto the countertop that sits over the passenger side front wheel. "Can I leave this here while I sing?" I asked.

"Sure," he laughed, clearly delighted. "What will you play?"

"An old folk song."

"Peter, Paul and Mary?"

"Older than that, I think."

I plunked myself down on the very first sidelong seat next to a kid listening to his iPod and reading a foreign author. He grinned at me and pulled out an earbud. "I can move if you need more room," he said, but I shook my head.

Looking at the dozen or so folks further down the bus who were all looking at me, I announced, "The driver has challenged me to sing you a song, so here we go. It has a chorus that goes like this, and I expect you all to help me."

After a quick run through of the chorus, away we all went with a tune I've known since I was a kid...

(1951 --  a while before I was born!)

My voice was a bit shaky with nerves, but people smiled, chuckled and listened, and a few voices actually joined mine on the chorus. Even the teen girls at the very back of the bus were grinning. At the end of the song, everyone clapped, including the kid sitting beside me, though I'm sure he preferred his iPod tunes.

"You can't quit now," said the driver as I put my guitar back into its case.

"If I didn't need my voice at the end of the route, I'd give you more," I said, "but I'll be hoarse if I sing like that for another thirty minutes."

"That's too bad," he said. "But that was great -- you made my day a little bit shorter."

The remaining twenty-five minutes of the ride went as usual -- people getting on, people getting off (three of them thanked me for singing). At one point the driver looked back at me in his rear view mirror and said, "It's too quiet now." But we were getting closer to the university, and the bus was too crowded for anyone to pull out a guitar. 

When I got off, I told the driver that if he was driving my bus home, I'd collect my free ride. Unfortunately, two hours later, it was a different driver...

But this Friday, I'll be catching the 94 again, same time, same place, likely with the same driver... and if he asks, maybe, just maybe, I'll sing another song for my free ticket.

The following week... I had a wicked head cold, and it was a different bus driver. But the young man with the earbuds who sat beside me while I sang the previous week grinned when I got on and said, "You're back!" I smiled at him and headed for the back of the bus... glad that I had taken the opportunity when it presented itself.

Sometimes you only get one chance.

Laudato Si: Sunday Reflection #11... Toward stronger action

Here's a thought: if we didn't have air conditioning, you can bet we'd be a lot more concerned about global climate change. This idea hit me between the eyes the day that I first read the section on Weak Responses (paragraphs 53-59) in Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home (which can be accessed by clicking here). I had just finished it when I heard a news report about 2000 people dying in a heatwave that hit Karachi and other cities in the southern provinces of Pakistan. It's much harder to ignore the climate crisis when you don't have air conditioning -- and when it's in your own backyard.

The fact is, it IS here in our backyard, but in North America we've been able to blame the worst impacts thus far on freak weather events, ignoring the fact that perhaps the 100-year-storms causing flooding or crop damage are happening every few years instead of once a century. And the forest fires! Our sister, Mother Earth, is crying out, trying to wake us up, but are we blowing her storms and disasters off as coincidences -- at our peril?

Pope Francis puts it plainly: "Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years," and even with our ever-increasing technological and intellectual advances, we are lacking the caring culture needed to address the earth's issues, and the leadership to bring about change -- though I would argue that the fact that the Pope himself has brought the issues forward in Laudato Si is a small step in the right direction.

But will it be enough? As he says in paragraph 53, "The establishment of a legal framework which can set clear boundaries and ensure the protection of ecosystems has become indispensable; otherwise the new power structures based on the techno-economic paradigm may overwhelm not only our politics but also freedom and justice." We need a solid plan that the entire population will buy into, with international law to back it up. Otherwise, the strongest voices (of the economy and politicians looking to save their seats) win.

And we see this over and over again. Climate summits have been happening every year since 1995, and not one of them has brought about serious change. I am ashamed that my Canadian government has been one of the worst when it comes to reneging on its promises toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and, by our bad example, encouraging other countries to do the same. I'm ashamed -- and angry -- and grieving.

Especially when I see something like this from Development and Peace:

Our sister, Mebrhati, calls on God for rain, Abba Solomon calls everyone to "change this climate change," and Pope Francis points out that

"the alliance between the economy and technology ends up sidelining anything unrelated to its immediate interests. Consequently, the most one can expect is superficial rhetoric, sporadic acts of philanthropy and perfunctory expressions of concern for the environment, whereas any genuine attempt by groups within society to introduce change is viewed as a nuisance based on romantic illusions or an obstacle to be circumvented" (paragraph 54).

Reminds me of Joe Oliver, a previous Minister of Natural Resources here in Canada, who labelled everyone with an ounce of desire to protect the environment (from poorly planned pipelines) as radicals. It never ceases to frustrate me when people with economic interests in resources get snarky at people who care about the environment, pointing out that without such-and-such a resource, life won't be so cozy or convenient. But those of us who care for the environment are only too aware of the hassles of protecting it, and are willing to put up with more hardship and inconvenience. Unfortunately, if our environment continues to decline, none of our sacrifices will matter. The fact that our family gave up one of our two cars has meant that we can't all do whatever we want whenever we want and miss some events and activities, but life is not about convenience in most parts of the world! Most of our brothers and sisters on this planet don't have one vehicle, let alone two or more... Should we?

Paragraph 55 looks at the fact that while some countries have made significant progress toward ecological sensitivity, "harmful habits of consumption" haven't changed. And Pope Francis and his team actually mention "the increasing use and power of air-conditioning" as an example. What about the empty but idling diesel half-ton that choked Shadow and me on our walk this week? What about the three empty plastic water bottles we picked off the side of the hill? The last sentence says, "An outsider looking at our world would be amazed at such behaviour, which at times appears self-destructive." Sometimes it feels like the encyclical is pussyfooting around. Such behaviour just plain IS self-destructive. We are killing ourselves and creation by taking the good things God has given us for granted, wasting them and the earth in the process.

I'm feeling depressed, can you tell? Too many human beings have made financial gain the bottom line, says paragraph 56, not exactly in those words (the Pope and writers say it better, but this moodling is already getting too long). We "deny doing anything wrong because distractions constantly dull our consciousness of just how limited and finite our world really is," leaving the environment defenceless before market forces. (Or politics -- the election time spent this week arguing about the niqab distraction should have been used to find out what our politicians intend to do about climate change, or any number of other issues!)

Paragraph 57 is even less cheerful, raising the spectre of wars, nuclear and biological, once resources become scarce (I'll let you read that part for yourself) and concluding, "What would induce anyone, at this stage, to hold on to power only to be remembered for their inability to take action when it was urgent and necessary to do so?"

But as various people in the Bible say over and over again, "be not afraid." Paragraph 58 reminds us that human beings have been able to reverse some of the negative planetary impacts we have had in the past, accomplishing small things that prove that "men and women are still capable of intervening positively. For all our limitations, gestures of generosity, solidarity, and care cannot help but well up within us, since we were made for love."

We don't leave this section on a positive note, however. The last paragraph (59) warns us against "the rise of a false or superficial ecology which bolsters complacency and a cheerful recklessness." It's not enough to buy all the 'green-washed' cleaning products off the store shelves -- and forget about changing the rest of our lives. The planet will probably continue as it is for some time, leaving us with the illusion that things are fine and our little actions are making a difference, but if we continue "carrying on with our present lifestyles and models of production and consumption... delaying the important decisions and pretending that nothing will happen," nothing actually changes. It's the big changes that we need to make that will save us.

On this feast day of Saint Francis, I can easily imagine him standing with the Pope, encouraging us all to "Wake up, for creation's sake!" The Weak Responses section that we've just read, written by the most famous Francis of our era is calling us toward stronger action -- for Mebrhati, Solomon, ourselves, and future generations. Could we live with one less vehicle in our lives? Could we turn off the air conditioning and lower the thermostat in the winter? Shop less? Share more? Spend more personal effort instead of taking consumer culture's quick, cheap, and easy ways out?

What am I taking for granted that I can appreciate more -- or do without?

What sacrifices am I willing to make to save our planet?

Feel free to share your ideas in the comments section below. Discussion can challenge us to act!

*******

A prayer for our earth

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.

+AMEN.

(A prayer for our earth and all quotations from Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home © Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Next up: #12... Gratitude, not greed

Celebrating the original Francis

This is the eve before the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, my favourite saint, and if you've been following these moodlings for a while, you know that he's often mentioned here. I just can't resist any opportunity to plug someone who followed Jesus as closely as Francis did, loving creation and those on the margins.

Today I'm leaving a prayer attributed to Saint Francis -- recorded by a beautiful Sikh musician. I can't hear Snatam Kaur's version of the Prayer of Saint Francis without the tears flowing -- it's one of those melodies that moves my soul, and I suspect Francis would be delighted that his prayer is being prayed in Punjabi music! The beginning chant translates as follows:

Aad Sach, Jugaad Sach
(True in the beginning, True throughout the ages)
Haibhay Sach, Nanak Hosee Bhay Sach
(True here and now, O Nanak, God shall forever be True)

The rest is in English. Plug in some headphones, close your eyes, let the music flood your being, and enjoy... Have a happy St. Francis Day tomorrow!

October garden update

I thought it might be fun to look back at the garden's progress over the summer...

June 1st

July 1st

August 1st

September 1st

October 1st

It's almost put away for the year --
not a minute too soon, as you can see how the sun has shifted,
and meteorologists are predicting a snow/rain mix tomorrow --
just three tomato plants moved into the greenhouse,
a bit of kohlrabi, some beets, chard and lettuce are left.
I'm canning tomatoes and freezing soups,
grateful for the opportunity to grow a garden.
We'll be enjoying our produce well into next year,
and start all over again!