On the drive back from Nova Scotia, I happened to catch the eulogy delivered by former president Barack Obama at the funeral for his political rival John McCain, the senator and war hero, who for many represents an ideal of public service and sacrifice. Perhaps you listened as well. I was reminded this week, for … Continue reading Do we follow the law for the sake of the law? Or do we walk with grace?
This is a story about the damage that faith can do in the world, when it cannot bend, when it shakes off tolerance and takes on judgment cast in the false cloak of righteousness. It happened in a country of unrest far from here. In that country, the Atham-Lebbe brothers, after working as labourers in … Continue reading The Language of the Gospel
Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down their life for the sheep….No one takes it from me, I lay it down of my own accord. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again.” Reading this gospel this week, these last … Continue reading Who Are We Called To Shepherd?
In the summer of 2012, Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins visited a bakery in Colorado to order a cake for their wedding. The owner, a man named Jack Phillips, refused to make them one, arguing that as a Christian, he couldn’t decorate a cake for a same-sex wedding. It was against his religion, he said. … Continue reading The Wilderness of Freedom
Today, as we approach a week of remembrance, as we consider loved ones lost on this All Saints Sunday, we are presented with the Beatitudes in our Gospel. We are given a divine version of what makes a person powerful and worthy: not strength, and ambition, but humility, and peacemaking, and a willingness to lose … Continue reading Righteous Resisters
