HUNGER FOR GOD’S JUSTICE

Whenever a believer draws closer to the living God, that is, they live in a face-to-face relationship with God, they also draw closer to their fellow human being. What is happening here?

 

Now, much of all religions will be cultural. This means we do religious things because that is what we are  supposed to do in this culture. There is a lot of going-through-the-motions in all of the world’s religions.

 

When a believer draws closer to the very life and heart of God they experience in their own lives a growing love and compassion for their fellow human being. The relationship with the outpouring God, i.e., the Trintiy, motivates them to be outgoing towards others. As God is Father and creator of all, so now others become our sisters and brothers. Authentic religion always expands our heart, our world view and our society.

 

This is where the hunger for justice for others grows and matures. It first arises from a heart that shares the compassion and goodness of the holy Trintiy. How we live in God and the Holy Spirit within us flows to service and care for others.

 

Focus on the hungers that emerge from your own heart when you reflect on what God is doing and moving within your life.

 

Pay attention to the concern you feel when you go grocery shopping. Prices have increased 26 percent in the last five years. But wages, especially the wages at the bottom, have not increased. What is it like to be a single parent , trying to provide proper nourishment for your children, when your budget gets tighter every year.? Now, what kind of hunger , i.e., compassion, do you feel in your heart when you consider the people who shop for groceries but are at the bottom end of the wage scale?  How much of the concern for these parents comes from the Holy Spirit?

 

Canada has accepted many refugees (displaced people who had to flee from an unsafe country in which they were born) during the past twenty years. You reach out to help them get settled, learn Canadian business practices and get their kids into school. Where does this concern for displaced people come from?

 

Spend time listening to the hungers within your soul for others. These hungers  are so often God-given. The Spirit of God can move within us – but sometimes it is painful when you see your fellow human being suffer.

 

What hungers for justice and compassion do you experience?

 

 

FAITH IS ALWAYS A SEARCH

If you have ever went hiking in the mountains you will agree that every turn can be something new. You keep walking but the wildlife and the scenery are enjoyable. It is always new!

 

There were moments where I just asked fellow hikers, “Just sit down and enjoy this!” Now the truth was that there was another beautiful surprise that would capture our attention in the next little while. But just stop! Don’t miss this one; it is so beautiful!

 

Now our life our faith is a walk, a journey, with our God. The very Spirit of God is moving in all parts of the earth – and every human person. God is alive and moving within us. Our task is to pay attention and always ask  “Where is God in all  of this?”

 

True to the journey of life there are always ups and downs. We may go through some hard patches of life, some very difficult struggles with believing and trusting in God. There may be moments when we want to give up on the whole God-project. Throw it all in! Quit!

 

Authentic faith is always a search for the ways that God is moving in our life and through the mess of the world events. You never have God nailed down and under control.

 

We try to image the very life and spirit of God as a bird. Now, here in Saskatchewan try to control a flock of sparrows! They move and fly where they will move and fly. Every movement of the wings of a sparrow is always a surprise.

 

Noone controls God. 

 

Search and pay attention.

 

When the Sunday liturgy is prayed correctly it is always the people of the Church taking a small chunk of the Scriptures and asking, “What does God want to communicate to us today?”  It will always be new because God is not stationary and the situation of the world is always on the move.

 

Faith is always searching for God. Faith is always listening to the movements of God in the life of our country, our family and within our own soul.

 

How do you know and live with God today?

 

NAME YOUR HUNGER FOR GOD

 

Some years ago two moose hunters  in Northern Saskatchewan got lost in the forest. They wandered up and down the cut lines looking for a road. They walked all day and into the night. This was November so darkness came early. Somewhere after six o’clock they stumbled on the camp of two other moose hunters. They had not eaten since early morning. The two men in the camp sadly told the lost hunters, “ All we have is just two burnt wieners.”

 

The hungry and lost hunters said, “You have never tasted such good wieners!”

 

We need to feel the pain of hunger to appreciate how good food actually tastes. 

 

This is the same in the spiritual side of life. We must get in touch with our hunger for God to appreciate how powerful it is to believe and to pray in the mystery of God.

 

The worst thing that happens in our spiritual life is when people feel secure that they know what God wants and they are living pretty good lives.  Religion has a built -in trap that can block the reality of God in our daily lives. 

 

If you do not experience spiritual hunger you will not find God.

 

When you get stuck, parked in a long line of traffic, because the highway has been blocked off until a serious accident up front is cleaned up, you ask in frustration, “God get me out of this mess!” You are not in control and you feel such a need to have God just close by in all your impatience.

 

Your sister, whom you talk to several times a week, has just received the unexpected diagnosis of stage four cancer. You are devastated. In pain and tears you cry out to God, “Why is this happening to someone in the forties? How will we handle this cancer?”

 

There are  so many moments in our lives when we are tossed down, confused and feeling powerless. This is where we feel our hunger, our need, for the presence and the helping hand of God.

 

These are the moments when we are hungry for God. This hunger is most often a deep pain in our lives. We know that we need God’s assistance.

 

This is where the little ones of this world can be so honest. They cannot control what happens in life and they cannot control the movements of God. But it will be out of their pain and confusion (i.e., their hunger for God) that they will cry out for help and courage from God.

 

Today give a few moments of reflection about your own hunger for God.

Where in your life do you feel a deep hunger for God?

 

 

 

 

OUR SEARCH FOR TRUTH MUST PUT AI TO THE TEST

On Monday, May 23,2026, Pope Leo issued an encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity) in which he embraced the reality of AI in the life and world of Christians and all citizens of the world. 

 

An encyclical is an official teaching document on the Doctrine and practice of the Church.  It is meant for a worldwide audience.

 

This fits in with the social doctrine of the Church. There has been a steady and progressive development of the implications for Christians (and all other peoples) about the emerging issues that have arisen in the life of Christiain people. The social doctrine of the Church is an evolvement of the entire believing community, worldwide. The pope does not sit down at his desk and create this teaching out of his own perspective. This evolves out of the concerns of concerned Christians seeking to live a life of justice and peace. It arises out of the conferences of bishops (each country has one) and it comes together at the level of the pope and the central church government.

 

Five days after publication I would say the most significant thing is to have everyone ask how is AI benefitting human beings. Are we advancing forward as human beings if larger numbers of people will be pushed out of their jobs and their production.. Machines/AI will take over. What if the first noticeable consequence of AI is the elimination of jobs? What then?

 

All humans need to work; to make a contribution and to establish their worth in this world. We need to work to feel like a worthwhile human being. 

 

On this point I want to share an observation that Janice Stein ( a well-weathered expert on world affairs, war and peace). When asked what the most dangerous thing in the world she replied., “large number of unemployed fifteen to twenty-four old unemployed males.”  This is exactly where incredible civil unrest begins to smolder. They are frustrated. They feel of no worth and so they hit the streets! 

 

Humans need to work. Humans find great meaning and purpose in their work. 

 

What if AI eliminates huge number of workers?

 

This is only a beginning question that arises from Pope Loe’ encyclical.

 

What do you think?

PENTECOST IS MEANT TO BE A FIRE

This week ( seven weeks and one day after Easter) we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. We are trying to recover the sense that the three days of Easter (the cross and resurrection) are bookended with the feast of Pentecost. In Easter we celebrate our redemption; in Pentecost we celebrate the sending forth to the world of the redemption won in Jesus Christ.

 

Fire is a very strong symbol of the presence and working of the Holy Spirit. When Moses first encountered God, he met him in the burning bush. God sent him on his mission to rescue the enslaved Hebrews from the burning bush. Fire has always remained a very strong sign of the presence and working of the Holy Spirit.

 

Now on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is given to the disciples in pieces (i.e., tongues – to use an image from present day carpentry). This is a sign that they are being empowered by the Holy Spirit.

 

Now, we need a little more of the fire of God in our world today. 

 

May there be pieces of God’s fire wherever there is war and fighting. Countless young men (mostly) are killed and maimed through bombs and land mines. May there be pieces of God’s fire moving the powers that be to end the war and work towards peace between nations. 

 

Throughout the world there are countless people who have strong financial power, are well educated and manage serious responsibilities but they have chosen to be indifferent to the suffering of their poor neighbors. The world may admire them as being very successful  but their heart has shrunk. They are indifferent to the sufferings of others. May the fire of compassion be lite in their hearts. May the heat of God’s love melt the indifferent walls of the tight, tight heart.

 

The population of the world is on the move. Never before in human history have so many people left the land they were born in and moved to country where life will be better for their children. There are people in our Canada (and we all have immigrant roots) who are very opposed and verbally hostile toward the newcomers. We pray that the fire of the Holy Spirit burn strong in their hearts to take ownership of their  own immigrant roots and their hearts expand to understand people who have different skin color, speak with an accent and work two to three jobs. 

 

I want to leave it to you to add a few more ‘fires’ for Pentecost.  What is the Holy Spirit trying to teach us with this fire image? What new insights have you gained by exploring the possibility of this fire image?

 

 

WORKING TO BECOME A BIBLICAL CHURCH

 About a hundred and twenty-five years ago the scholars looked seriously at how the early church actually lived their life as a faith community. The one thing that stood out clearly was the importance of the Word of God. When they would gather for worship a passage was chosen, proclaimed and meditated upon. These were people who were for the most part illiterate; only a small group of men could read and write.

 

This was also a time when the spoken word, the story told, was committed to memory. Many people knew  and recited parts of the Scriptures in their daily prayer life. The Word of God was integral to their prayer and their spirituality.

 

After the Vatican Council (ended in 1965) the readings for Sunday Mass were updated into the three year cycle of readings. This means that all the New Testament and the important parts of the Old Testament are proclaimed in every church, every three years.

 

This innovation was adopted by the Anglican, United, Luthern, Presbyterian churches in Canada.  This means that on almost every Sunday in Canada the exact gospel passage is being proclaimed in all five churches.

 

A strong value of the three year lectionary is that the Word of God is given to the local church. This means that there is no room to pick and choose just the parts of the Scriptures that we like. Very simply put: local church here is the Word of God – deal with it! Keep in mind that there are many parts of the Bible that people do not want to deal with in their liturgies.

 

Always picture the Word of God (printed in a book we call the Bible) as so much sheet music. A musician may have stacks of sheet music on their shelves, but that is just so much paper that could be recycled in the recycle bin. It is only when the music is played that it becomes real. And what a delight it is to have a musician make the notes on the page come alive! What pleasure it gives us to just enjoy this music.

 

Consider in your memory the wonderful feeling of parents when whey silently enjoy and take great pride in the musical skills of their children. They may not put it into words but there is great satisfaction that all these trips, all these hours of practice were worth it!

When their child plays a certain piece on whatever instrument they have learnt on, the heart of the parent flowering into pride and gratitude.

 

Now, the Word of God must be seen in the same light. It is no good to have a Bible in the house if it is  never read and prayed over. When the Word of God is proclaimed during the Sunday liturgy this is  a lived experience of God.

 

But it is only when it is lived out, made real in our daily lives, does the Word of God come alive. It is in our flesh that the Word of God is real – and alive.

 

 

 

 

GIVE THE VANCOUVER WITECAPS ANOTHER THOUGHT

 

Last week our national media was flooded with protests and discussion a about the proposal to move the Vancouver Whitecaps to Los  Vegas. The fans rose up in protest.

 

What is actually at stake here? What values are we supporting or protesting?

Put yourself in the team owner’s shoes. This is a business investment right from the start. He did not purchase the soccer  club as his own personal entertainment. This was raw business. Now, there is a very good opportunity to make more if the Whitecaps play football in Los Vegas. 

 

But the Vancouver people have made this team their own. This team belongs to the people of Vancouver. They support them in so many different ways. They feel and live a  kinship with this team.  The Whitecaps are part of the life of the city of Vancouver.

 

What are the values that we must pay attention to in this controversy?

 

Do most parts of our society come down to being valued only in terms of the money they make? Do our relationships with the social reality of a professional football team count?

What values should take prominence in this discussion?

 

Money is essential to the functioning of any society. But what place must it occupy in our scale of values?  We are being put to the test in this controversy.

 

Who can place a money value on human friendship? Who can measure the value of your grandchildren bursting into your hospital room and giving you one big hug? Who can value in monetary terms when your friend drives through the middle of the night to help you in a crisis?

 

Now, in this Vancouver controversy, if making money is the most important goal, then the sale of this team to Los Vegas is a good deal. This is raw capitalism working at its best.

 

But if the social values of love for the Whitecaps and the joy and friendship that they bring to the people of Vancouver, then we recognize what has first value in our society.

 

This controversy will help identify where each one of us stands in regard to what is of first importance to the thriving of human life. 

 

Wh\ere do you stand on this issue?