BUT WE ARE SO FLAWED!

There is a insightful story told of the man who was looking for the perfect woman.

At last, he found her!

People asked him:  “Well, if you found the perfect woman, why didn’t you marry her?”

A long pause. “She was looking for the perfect man!”

 

All human beings are a combination of great strengths; but they can also be so flawed!

 

The wonderful story-teller can be the life of the party. People enjoy this person – but they can also be so boring because they focus all the attention on themselves and are poor listeners!

 

We have all be let down by people we thought we could count on. When we were in trouble and needing assistance, they were no where to be found! We know the world of broken promises.

 

It is very difficult to live with such flawed persons. But then, they will say the same thing about us. We may not be aware of our weaknesses and faults, but everyone else suffers through the flaws of our personality.

 

The observation has been made that if we honestly knew ourselves for who we really are, with all our strengths and weaknesses, we would all be humble. We may be quick to be offended when someone criticizes us, but if we felt the full impact of our criticism of the faults of others, we would certainly walk in humble shoes. 

 

This is how we come before God: we are loved, wanted and chosen – but oh how flawed!

 

Take a look at the women and men that Jesus choose to be part of God’s great work of salvation. Peter was boastful – but he denied knowing Jesus at a very crucial moment. The disciples were guilty of arguing about who was the most important (talk about an ego trip!).

And then there was Judas who sold him down the river for money! Could you find a group of human beings who were less flawed than the disciples?

 

And this is the great mystery of our redemption. God walks with us, chooses us, who are such flawed individuals. This is not the height of humanity – but it is the plodding of weak human beings who have so many weaknesses. 

 

If you turn to the fourth Gospel in the New Testament, the gospel fo John, and you hear the story of the woman taking in adultery. The Jewish law was correct: her punishment was to be stoned to death! 

 

What does Jesus do? He gets down, writes in the sand, “Whoever is without sin, you cast the first stone!”

 

And they all slinked away! They were caught in their own evil trap!

 

Today, spend some time reflecting on your own weaknesses, your own flaws. What are they teaching you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHERE OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH LEADS US.

 

When was the las time that you were looking for a particular address and had to stop a stranger on the street and ask for directions? 

 

Some of our new developments have streets, lanes, alleys and roads in the same corner. How do I find the right one? From time to time, we need a helpful person to point us in the correct direction. 

 

This season of Lent is a moment to see that all parts of our Christiaan faith lead in only one direction. Religion is not about doing the right things: i.e., ‘see what a good person I am by what I do!” Religion is not about feeling good and secure. Religion is not a power-trip to make us feel successful.

 

Simply put: the closer we draw toward God, the closer we will draw to our fellow human being. What was the name of the Russian writer who said: “that to love another human being is to see the face of God”?

 

Prayer should never be about manipulating and pressuring the divine to bend to our biding. Prayer is opening our own lives to the heartbeat of God. We want to be shaped, strengthened by the love and compassion of God. 

 

God is always a God who is self-giving. When we pray we share in the  outpouring  of the love of God. If we are sharing in the divine life; we will become self-giving as God is self-giving. 

 

Religion is life in friendship with the divine life and power.  Understand this beginning   from a very human level. Healthy human friendship influence, shape and challenge each other. A good friend always become a part of our own life and personality. 

 

Now, what happens when God becomes a part of your personality, your life and values?

 

A beautiful sign is the food donations that so many of our parishioners bring for the food bank. Grocery prices are very high for anyone on a fixed income. Every donation arises out of a nudge from God to bring your struggling fellow human being into your circle of concern. 

 

The respect that so many of our nursing personnel bring to the care of the elderly is remarkable. They could do they job of feeding, moving and cleaning up people with their dementia but they are patient, gentle and respectful with the feeble elderly. There is a touch of God right here in this wheel chair!

 

It is also remarkable how many Church people are involved in the Meals on Wheels program. They volunteer their time and friendship to bring meals to so many elderly shut-ins. Is this not another unspoken grace of God in action?

 

A lived religious faith does make a difference. Our Christian faith is never centered on the self, but rather sharing the out-pouring of God. And God is so magnificently generous; and so generous we become when we share the divine heart!

 

 

 

CANADIANS ARE A LITTLE MORE THAN UPSET!

Canadians are upset and angry. And they should be! We are experiencing much disrespect and putdowns from the present president of our neighbor to the South. We fear that tremendous suffering that could be unleashed upon our citizens and countless other peoples in the world with the threat of onerous tariffs. We are being treated \badly and we react!

 

One telling picture of this strong reaction was a brief interview that was done with a white-haired grandmother. This little woman looked into the TV camera, raised her clenched fists and proudly said: “And we are angry!”

 

Today, take the practice within our Christian faith and pray for our country. Pray that the blessing of being Canada are shared, protected and valued with all the people who comprised this country. 

 

Be thankful to God (and all the other citizens) for all the Canadians who are concerned about the plight of the homeless in our cities. Sometimes these concerned Canadians are strong and loud about the actions our governments should undertake for the  homeless. But these concerned citizens are not ignoring the plight of the homeless and treating them as people of no worth. In some of the angry words that you hear from these concerned citizens, hear the honest compassion and sense of justice they are seeking toward the people who live literally on the edges of our society.

 

Give gratitude to God and to all your fellow citizens for the harmonious ways that Canadians can live with people who are different from themselves. The people in the high Artic, in Tuktoyatok for example are different from the people in St. Anthony’s, Newfoundland (the northernmost community). And these people are different from the people who live on Vancouver Island. So many different ways of living and yet we all get along. We can live and function with so much diversity. Socially, we make many compromises. Is this not a great strength?

 

We jealously guard our national health care system. We pay high taxes but we want to have a country where no one is excluded from health care because they cannot pay for it. The health care system is far from perfect, but it is a strong indicator of the values we hold and want to put into practice for everyone,; especially for those without power and money. 

 

Examine the ways that we have been able to accept and integrate refugees and newcomers into our society. We do not give sufficient recognition to the service our schools give to educating our children into the Canadian society. We must also recognize the strong education that our children are receiving to accept and live in harmony with people who are different: children who have limitations, speak a different first language and eat different foods. Express your gratitude at how Canadians who can integrate so many differences and live without friction.

 

Like any family, our country is not perfect. We all have our uncle Fred’s who are difficult to get along with, but when it comes down to the wire, Canada is worth fighting for!

We should be upset from the abuse from are taking from the South. Elbows up!

 

May your prayer life always embrace and protect our country and our national sovereignty.

 

 

 

WHY LENT HAS SUCH HOLDNG POWER?

 

What do you do with an unexpected gift? 

 

One of your co-workers whom you find difficult to work with, hears that you have hit a patch of black ice on the highway and you are in the ditch. He jumps in his truck and goes out to rescue you. How does it make you feel? 

 

Life does have such unexpected moments of giftedness. Often you will discover something that you have grown up with to flower forth in giftedness and meaning. Lent will prove to be such a gift to your spiritual life.

 

In the Bible people felt the need to disassociate themselves from the pressure of life and they moved out into a space where they could seek God. They put themselves into a framework where they could focus on the things of God and work toward responding to whatever God was asking of them. This was the foundation of the forty days of Lent. It is a time of spiritual hunger, of seeking and of risk-taking. This spiritual journey could also end up in failure!

 

Through the centuries our ancestors in the faith have entered into this spiritual seeking for the movements of God. People feel within themselves the need to work harder at their spiritual life. They want the ‘more of God.’ 

 

As we begin Lent on March 5, Ash Wednesday, move your foot forward in a spiritual seeking. Move out of the comfort of your present religious practice and work to be alert to the movements of the Holy Spirit in your own life and the life of your church.

 

During these forty days of Lent, we are offered each day a stimulating part of the Scriptures. We are  called to meditate, pray over and wrestle with the Word of God. Each day we can take the Scripture readings for that particular day and bring it into our lives. The Word of God may be very challenging, or it may give us a new insight, a new direction to follow in our lives. 

 

This is a season of fasting. But fasting always means different things for different folks. Maybe your fasting is to put your phone down and be attentive to the concerns and hurts of other people. Maybe your fasting is to turn away from your phone and turn toward the poor and the suffering.

 

Lent is always a time for charity. Maybe this is the time to help with the volunteers of your city who prepare food for the homeless. Making sandwiches for the hungry is one of the wonderful works of Lent.

 

Lent always looks forward to the great celebration of Easter. We are seeking a stronger conversion to the life and the works of Jesus Christ. May the risen Lord happen in us!

 

May you discover that Lent 2025 is a dynamic gift to your life!