CANADA AS OUR SPIRITUAL CONCERN

 

This has been quite a week in Canada. On Tuesday we had King Charles deliver the   ‘speech from the throne” to open this session of the Federal Parliament.

 

Canadians are up in arms at the hostile attitude of the president of the United States. Countless Canadians are changing their travel and vacation plans by not traveling to the States. The airline companies have reduced the number of flights that they normally have to the USA. There is tension in the air.

 

But this is a moment for us to take a step back and recognize great strengths in our Canadian society that we have taken for granted. Now there is economic and productive strength. We are a prosperous society but what makes us strong is found in the social strengths that we have and lives as a society.

 

There is incredible strength in our ability to accept and adapt to many different groups that compose Canada. We were founded by compromise: French, English, Aboriginal, Catholic and Protestant. We live that spirit of compromise well today by the way that new-comers can be integrated and become successful in this society. 

 

We hold strong respect for the law of the country and guard the integrity and independence of our courts. When we examine some other countries, we hold tight our respect for and honesty of our courts. 

 

Here is where we must bring the values of our Christiaan faith to our perception of our Canada.  Too often in the past there has been a deep divide in thinking about the consequences of our faith and our life as a society.

 

First we must work towards justice and equity n our society. The goods of the earth are meant for the well-being of everyone. The resources of the earth are meant for all; not just the rich and the powerful. When we stand among all the other countries of the world, how wonderful that we practice family allowance and have an old age pension. Our socialized medicine is for all ( as imperfect as it is at the moment).

 

Our Christian faith must motivate us to work for justice for all. All human rights must be recognized and practiced at all levels of society. We are working toward a society where there are no ‘minority’ groups in Canada.

 

Our Christiian faith has so much to offer, support  and challenge our Canadian society. This is the season to rediscover what our Christian values offers to Canada and gives us courage to deal with the issues of intolerance, marginalization , poverty and exclusion in our Canadian society.

 

This is the season to rediscover the values and challenges that our Catholic social teaching brings to the Canadian narrative. There are so many ways that our Christian faith can strengthen our Canadian society: from sea to sea to sea!