A Note from Mary Ellen
A Summer of Grace
June 2019
All is green, the birds are singing, and the rhubarb is up and plentiful. Summer is in the air. And with summer, when time seems to slow and the customary daily round of tasks takes a breather, comes a window of opportunity. Thus enters the possibility of re-creation -- whether at the cottage, in the garden, visiting family and friends, or simply sitting on the porch with a good book. Summer is a time to recall that we are so much more than what we 'do'. Summer is a time to give ourselves over to a bit of holy leisure -- to sit and simply enjoy the gift of life and the gift of all good things that surround us. Summer is a contemplative's season, and summer re-creates a weary soul. So, here's wishing you a summer of grace.
Mary Ellen
All is green, the birds are singing, and the rhubarb is up and plentiful. Summer is in the air. And with summer, when time seems to slow and the customary daily round of tasks takes a breather, comes a window of opportunity. Thus enters the possibility of re-creation -- whether at the cottage, in the garden, visiting family and friends, or simply sitting on the porch with a good book. Summer is a time to recall that we are so much more than what we 'do'. Summer is a time to give ourselves over to a bit of holy leisure -- to sit and simply enjoy the gift of life and the gift of all good things that surround us. Summer is a contemplative's season, and summer re-creates a weary soul. So, here's wishing you a summer of grace.
Mary Ellen
A Word or Two About Lent…
March 2019
One of the spiritual ‘perks’ of being an Anglican is that we follow a cycle of seasons throughout the year — Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost. These seasons are signposts — they trace the movements and shifts of the spirit in its pilgrimage through life. We are now in the season of Lent — and Lent is the time for reflection. In this spirit, here are a few reflections from Sister Joan Chittister, who has written widely on Christianity and specifically Benedictine spirituality. Savour and enjoy…
Ash Wednesday signals the beginning of that season of the church year that is most commonly associated with penance. But there is a danger lurking in that definition. If penance is all that Lent is about, the season, if not almost useless, is at least somewhat trivial. It makes the spiritual life some kind of arithmetical balancing act. I do so many penances for so much human misadventure and payback time is over. The important thing is that I remember to come out even…
But Lent is a much greater moment in life than that. Lent is a call to weep for what we could have been and are not. Lent is the grace to grieve for what we should have done and did not. Lent is the opportunity to change what we ought to change but have not. Lent is not about penance. Lent is about becoming, doing and changing whatever it is that is blocking the fullness of life in us right now. Lent is a summons to live anew…
Lent is the time to let life in again, to rebuild the worlds we’ve allowed to go sterile, to “fast and weep and mourn” for the goods we’ve foregone. If our own lives are not to die from lack of nourishment, we must sacrifice the pride or the sloth or the listlessness that blocks us from beginning again.
One of the spiritual ‘perks’ of being an Anglican is that we follow a cycle of seasons throughout the year — Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost. These seasons are signposts — they trace the movements and shifts of the spirit in its pilgrimage through life. We are now in the season of Lent — and Lent is the time for reflection. In this spirit, here are a few reflections from Sister Joan Chittister, who has written widely on Christianity and specifically Benedictine spirituality. Savour and enjoy…
Ash Wednesday signals the beginning of that season of the church year that is most commonly associated with penance. But there is a danger lurking in that definition. If penance is all that Lent is about, the season, if not almost useless, is at least somewhat trivial. It makes the spiritual life some kind of arithmetical balancing act. I do so many penances for so much human misadventure and payback time is over. The important thing is that I remember to come out even…
But Lent is a much greater moment in life than that. Lent is a call to weep for what we could have been and are not. Lent is the grace to grieve for what we should have done and did not. Lent is the opportunity to change what we ought to change but have not. Lent is not about penance. Lent is about becoming, doing and changing whatever it is that is blocking the fullness of life in us right now. Lent is a summons to live anew…
Lent is the time to let life in again, to rebuild the worlds we’ve allowed to go sterile, to “fast and weep and mourn” for the goods we’ve foregone. If our own lives are not to die from lack of nourishment, we must sacrifice the pride or the sloth or the listlessness that blocks us from beginning again.
January 25, 2019
Ode to a Super Blood Wolf Moon Total Lunar Eclipse!
On the night of Sunday, January 20th, if you were living in the right place --
and North and South America were the ‘right place’ --
you might have seen a Super Blood Wolf Moon Total Lunar Eclipse.
Ode to a Super Blood Wolf Moon Total Lunar Eclipse!
On the night of Sunday, January 20th, if you were living in the right place --
and North and South America were the ‘right place’ --
you might have seen a Super Blood Wolf Moon Total Lunar Eclipse.
A Lunar eclipse
because it is the first full moon of January.
a Super moon
because the moon is almost as close to the earth as it can be;
a Blood moon
because the dispersed light from all the Earth’s sunrises
and sunsets falls on the face of the moon;
and a Wolf moon
because it is the first full moon of January.
A Super Blood Wolf Moon Total Lunar Eclipse.
Oh my! Perfect timing!
We're in the season of Epiphany
and Epiphany is a prime time for such a chock-a-block-filled lunar show.
Epiphany is the season of revelation and illumination --
a time when we observe and ponder
the myriad ways in which the Light of Christ saturates life.
More often than not,
the movement of the Christ Light is subtle
as it shimmers in the nooks and crannies of ordinary daily living.
And yet,
there are times when it shines unmistakably.
We sense the Light of Christ in cycles of subtlety and glimmering transparency;
not unlike the moon itself on the night of a
Super Blood Wolf Moon Total Eclipse.
Nature has provided us with a breathtakingly-stunning illustration
of how the Light of Christ surrounds us --
in times of being hidden to our eyes, and in times of manifest stellar brightness.
The next lunar event will be on the night of February 19th,
when the moon will be its closest and its brightest of the year.
What insights await?
Yours in awe and wonder,
Mary Ellen +
Mary Ellen +
December 5, 2018
The Christmas Machine
A little over 36 years ago a book was published that has stood the test of time --Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Warmth Back Into the Season.1 The book struck a chord because it is now in its 13th printing. And it’s no wonder. This is the time of year when we all can get caught up in a frenzy of chaotic activity trying to plan the ‘perfect’ Christmas celebration with all of the trimmings, and when we can fall prey to so many of the idealized notions of what makes a ‘perfect’ Christmas, well…perfect.
To the rescue comes Unplug the Christmas Machine with its sage advice for discovering some sanity and holy stillness at a time of year when both can seem short in supply. The authors, Jo Robinson and Jean Staeheli, offer the following words of wisdom to counteract the slick spell of ‘the Christmas machine’.
✩ Remember those people who truly need my gifts
✩ Express my love in more direct ways than gifts
✩ Examine my holiday activities in the light of my deepest values
✩ Be a peacemaker within my circle of family and friends
✩ Rededicate myself to my spiritual well-being
A blessed and Holy Advent to all.
Mary Ellen
Unplug The Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Warmth Back Into the Season,
William Morrow and Company, 1982.
The Christmas Machine
A little over 36 years ago a book was published that has stood the test of time --Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Warmth Back Into the Season.1 The book struck a chord because it is now in its 13th printing. And it’s no wonder. This is the time of year when we all can get caught up in a frenzy of chaotic activity trying to plan the ‘perfect’ Christmas celebration with all of the trimmings, and when we can fall prey to so many of the idealized notions of what makes a ‘perfect’ Christmas, well…perfect.
To the rescue comes Unplug the Christmas Machine with its sage advice for discovering some sanity and holy stillness at a time of year when both can seem short in supply. The authors, Jo Robinson and Jean Staeheli, offer the following words of wisdom to counteract the slick spell of ‘the Christmas machine’.
✩ Remember those people who truly need my gifts
✩ Express my love in more direct ways than gifts
✩ Examine my holiday activities in the light of my deepest values
✩ Be a peacemaker within my circle of family and friends
✩ Rededicate myself to my spiritual well-being
A blessed and Holy Advent to all.
Mary Ellen
Unplug The Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Warmth Back Into the Season,
William Morrow and Company, 1982.
The 137th Synod of The Anglican Diocese of Ottawa
Last week the 137th gathering of Synod took place from November 1-3. As at all meetings of Synod, the highlights and practical matters of the past year were presented, discussed, and debated. While all reports were interesting, there was one that particularly captured my attention. It was the report from the Refugee Ministry Working Group, which stated the following:
“…Ottawa is leading all Dioceses within the country in submissions of applications for Refugees. One thousand community members are involved in the Diocese’s Agreement, and 702 refugees have been settled safely within Ottawa…”
This is remarkable news; and it is gratifying to know that we, through being a part of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, have played a part in securing a safe community and a safe home for persons fleeing from horrific violence. This truly is the work of the gospel.
If you would like more information about the proceedings of Synod, please visit ottawa.anglican.caand navigate to ‘Synod’; or alternatively, you can pick up a green-coloured Synod Highlights sheet at the back of the church.
In the Peace of Christ.
Mary Ellen +
Last week the 137th gathering of Synod took place from November 1-3. As at all meetings of Synod, the highlights and practical matters of the past year were presented, discussed, and debated. While all reports were interesting, there was one that particularly captured my attention. It was the report from the Refugee Ministry Working Group, which stated the following:
“…Ottawa is leading all Dioceses within the country in submissions of applications for Refugees. One thousand community members are involved in the Diocese’s Agreement, and 702 refugees have been settled safely within Ottawa…”
This is remarkable news; and it is gratifying to know that we, through being a part of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, have played a part in securing a safe community and a safe home for persons fleeing from horrific violence. This truly is the work of the gospel.
If you would like more information about the proceedings of Synod, please visit ottawa.anglican.caand navigate to ‘Synod’; or alternatively, you can pick up a green-coloured Synod Highlights sheet at the back of the church.
In the Peace of Christ.
Mary Ellen +
A Blessed Allhallowtide!
In a little over a week’s time, All Saints Day (November 1st) will be upon us. All Saints Day is a major Christian feast and a time when we recall, with gratitude, Christians who demonstrated an extraordinary love for Christ, and who served the people of their day with humility and passion. Saints such as Paul, John, James, and Mary are known to us all. However, there are many other lesser-known and modern-day saints who have also lived remarkable lives of devotion and service. This week, we learned that Pope Francis will canonize Bishop Oscar Romero. Bishop Romero was an outspoken defender of the rights of the poor in El Salvador. His weekly homilies, radio broadcast across the country, were an energizing force for the country’s poor as well as a reliable source of news. In March 1980, while celebrating Mass, Romero was assassinated — most likely by a right-wing death squad.
All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day together are known as Allhallowtide. We know All Hallow’s Eve as Hallowe’en — a night when delightful tricksters, dressed in costumes from dinosaurs to rockstars, roam the streets looking for treats from their good-natured neighbours. But did you know that trick-or-treating is likely rooted in a custom from the Middle Ages? In England, and other parts of Europe during the Middle Ages, on the night before All Saints Day, peasants and children, sometimes called “soulers", walked about town, stopping at homes along the way. At each home, they asked for a ‘soul cake’ in exchange for prayers for the deceased members of the household. As it turned out, in addition to being a popular form of piety, the practice of ‘souling’ became a way of offering food to the poor.
All Souls Day (November 2nd), a little more personal than All Saints Day, is the day that we give thanks for the faithful who have touched our own lives, and who have been memorable exemplars of a Christian life well-lived. The person we call to mind may be a relative who taught us to pray, or a Sunday School teacher whose gentle kindness we’ll never forget.
However you decide to celebrate Allhallowtide, may it be a blessing to you, and to those whose lives you touch.
In the Peace of Christ.
Mary Ellen +
P.S. Wondering what a ‘soul cake’ is? Well, various recipes exist that range from a plain shortbread biscuit sprinkled with icing sugar, to something more like a Welsh Cake decorated with currants placed atop in the shape of a cross. Enjoy!
In a little over a week’s time, All Saints Day (November 1st) will be upon us. All Saints Day is a major Christian feast and a time when we recall, with gratitude, Christians who demonstrated an extraordinary love for Christ, and who served the people of their day with humility and passion. Saints such as Paul, John, James, and Mary are known to us all. However, there are many other lesser-known and modern-day saints who have also lived remarkable lives of devotion and service. This week, we learned that Pope Francis will canonize Bishop Oscar Romero. Bishop Romero was an outspoken defender of the rights of the poor in El Salvador. His weekly homilies, radio broadcast across the country, were an energizing force for the country’s poor as well as a reliable source of news. In March 1980, while celebrating Mass, Romero was assassinated — most likely by a right-wing death squad.
All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day together are known as Allhallowtide. We know All Hallow’s Eve as Hallowe’en — a night when delightful tricksters, dressed in costumes from dinosaurs to rockstars, roam the streets looking for treats from their good-natured neighbours. But did you know that trick-or-treating is likely rooted in a custom from the Middle Ages? In England, and other parts of Europe during the Middle Ages, on the night before All Saints Day, peasants and children, sometimes called “soulers", walked about town, stopping at homes along the way. At each home, they asked for a ‘soul cake’ in exchange for prayers for the deceased members of the household. As it turned out, in addition to being a popular form of piety, the practice of ‘souling’ became a way of offering food to the poor.
All Souls Day (November 2nd), a little more personal than All Saints Day, is the day that we give thanks for the faithful who have touched our own lives, and who have been memorable exemplars of a Christian life well-lived. The person we call to mind may be a relative who taught us to pray, or a Sunday School teacher whose gentle kindness we’ll never forget.
However you decide to celebrate Allhallowtide, may it be a blessing to you, and to those whose lives you touch.
In the Peace of Christ.
Mary Ellen +
P.S. Wondering what a ‘soul cake’ is? Well, various recipes exist that range from a plain shortbread biscuit sprinkled with icing sugar, to something more like a Welsh Cake decorated with currants placed atop in the shape of a cross. Enjoy!
Life is short
and we do not have too much time
to gladden the hearts
of those who travel the way with us.
So,
be swift to love
and make haste to be kind;
and the blessing of God,
Creator, Christ, and Spirit - One,
go with you this day and always.
This past Sunday, at the end of the service, a few folks asked me about this blessing. It originates from Henri Fréderic Amiel, who was a 19th century Swiss poet and philosopher. I first heard the blessing when it was used by Marcus Borg — a remarkable theologian, teacher, and mentor of mine — at the end of a public lecture that he had given. It struck me then as a stunning summary of gospel values: stunning in its clarity, and stunning in Marcus’ embodiment of its gentle spirit. Sometimes the simplest words are the most profound — most especially when lived out in the modest dust and glory of life. May we all be so graced.
In Christ's Name,
Mary Ellen +
and we do not have too much time
to gladden the hearts
of those who travel the way with us.
So,
be swift to love
and make haste to be kind;
and the blessing of God,
Creator, Christ, and Spirit - One,
go with you this day and always.
This past Sunday, at the end of the service, a few folks asked me about this blessing. It originates from Henri Fréderic Amiel, who was a 19th century Swiss poet and philosopher. I first heard the blessing when it was used by Marcus Borg — a remarkable theologian, teacher, and mentor of mine — at the end of a public lecture that he had given. It struck me then as a stunning summary of gospel values: stunning in its clarity, and stunning in Marcus’ embodiment of its gentle spirit. Sometimes the simplest words are the most profound — most especially when lived out in the modest dust and glory of life. May we all be so graced.
In Christ's Name,
Mary Ellen +
