A Restless Life

This week we celebrate the Solemnity of two great exemplars of the faith from the early days of Christianity, Saints Peter and Paul.  We hear of an angel coming to save Peter from prison, an answer to the prayers of many of his fellow believers in Jesus.  And with Paul, we hear how he has now given his life wholeheartedly and submitted his life to the proclamation of Jesus and God's Word.  In both instances, we see how fruitful devotion to God can be, as Peter is spared his potential death sentence and Paul describes the eternal rewards that await him and all of us, if only we follow the way of the righteous.  Both of these Saints are great examples for us, as they both displayed not only their loyalty to God in the heroic acts but also their humanity in their misdeeds - Peter's denial of Jesus and Paul's life prior to his conversion.   In the Gospel reading, we hear Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Son of God, and Jesus bestows upon Simon the responsi...

This Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, or the Feast of Corpus Christi.  The readings this week center on the Holy Eucharist, as we hear of Melchizedek's offering alongside Abram, St. Paul's summation of Jesus's Last Supper to the Corinthians, and Jesus's multiplication of the fish and loaves for the crowds.  And in these readings, one common thread runs through them all, that of a faithful sacrifice.  The Eucharist is a faithful sacrifice, that of Jesus's body given to us, as St Paul, and our priest at each mass, recount.  Beyond that, we also need to look to the apostles and Abram for how we are to live. A key way for us to show the strength of our convictions is this faithful sacrifice.  We see Abram giving a tenth of his possessions to the High Priest Melchizedek in appreciation of the sacrifice offered and following a great victory.  The apostles sacrifice their food and devoutly follow their instructions, as ...

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe  by C.S. Lewis “Safe?" said Mr Beaver "Who said anything about safe?  'Course he isn't safe. But he's good.  He's the King, I tell you.” Summary : I've been reading this book with my son over his summer break, and thought it would be great to review here.  Yes, I know, another C.S. Lewis book.  And, yes, I know this is a children's fantasy book, but that doesn't mean that people of all ages can't learn from it.  But I'll put just as a quick summary for those unfamiliar or who haven't picked it up in a while.  It's one of the seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia series (first or second in order, depending on which way you prefer - you can look around online if you want more discussion on that).  The novel follows four siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, who are on summer break at an estate in England in the 1940s.  Their explorations around the house take them into an old wardrobe that tr...

As we move on from the Easter season, we celebrate that great mystery of the Holy Trinity.  This week, "work" is the common thread running through the readings.  Work in this sense doesn't necessarily mean toiling away at your 9-5, but the work that we put in everyday leading to the person we have become.  At times, it can seem bleak and we feel as though all of our toils on for naught, but with the right perspective and goals, we can take delight in our life and work here on earth, freeing us to be the playful spirit we hear in the passage from Proverbs.   However, just because we can take delight from our labors does not remove the hardship that we will encounter.  We need adversity to help us build resilience and grow into that strong character Paul mentions in his letter to the Romans, as without resilience and strength of character, we will not be able to hold onto the hope of our next life, that eternal glory in communion with God.  And I think t...

The Sunday of Pentecost marks both a beginning and an end.  In the readings this week, we hear how the Holy Spirit has been sent forth to dwell with the apostles, thus beginning their missions to the world.  Now, t here are two reading options for both the Second Reading and the Gospel, all options sharing a similar message, conveyed in a slightly different tone.  Which is fitting, given Paul's words to the Corinthians: 'There are different workings but the same God who produces them all of them in everyone'.  And in this same letter, we hear that we are all baptized by the Spirit into the same body, that of Jesus.  We must heed and act with this in mind, that we are always in the presence of the Holy Spirit.  We are empowered by the love that God displayed by sending, first, the Son and, second, the Holy Spirit, to guide and protect us. Now, I mentioned that this weekend marks both a beginning and an end.  The season of Easter comes to a close this we...