Spiritual Directions for the Journey
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on May 11th, 2013
Click here for a Printer Friendly Copy. “So what do we do now?” This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord. This is a special weekend to preach on this topic here at St. Patrick’s because of our large stain glass window that depicts this event in living and vibrant colour. [...]
Posted in Loving and Living the bible, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers on May 1st, 2013
Brennan Manning April 27, 1934 – April 12, 2013 If there was a model of the modern day itinerant preacher it might well be Brennan Manning. This alcoholic , ex-priest, divorced wanderer might seem to be an odd role model. Henri Nouwen talks about the Wounded Healer and Brennan was exactly that. He was deeply [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers on Apr 4th, 2013
Below is the Holy Thursday homily from my fellow wanderer Deacon Robert Kinghorn. Deacon Robert captures the call to be a servant to all, regardless of the convenience of the situation, as one of the main teachings of Jesus on this night of his final supper with his closest friends. Holy Thursday Homily: Deacon Robert [...]
Posted in Henri Nouwen, This Sunday on Mar 10th, 2013
We are called to be as compassionate as God is compassionate. We are called to follow Jesus’ example as a son – “the younger son without being rebellious” and “the elder son without being resentful.” We are also called to grow into spiritual fatherhood – this means both father and mother, masculine and feminine. All [...]
Posted in Henri Nouwen, This Sunday on Mar 10th, 2013
Nouwen says the painting just as easily could have been called “The Welcome by the Compassionate Father.” In the painting, the father’s hands are the true central point. The light and the eyes of others focus on those hands. The left hand is masculine while the right hand is more feminine. So the character “is [...]
Posted in Henri Nouwen, This Sunday on Mar 10th, 2013
The elder son usually gets little attention in discussions of this Bible story. Yet, Nouwen explains how both Rembrandt and Henri himself had part of the dark, resentful side of the “elder son” in them. Henri admits he understands the envy that the elder son feels toward his younger brother. The elder son lived an [...]
Posted in Henri Nouwen, This Sunday on Mar 10th, 2013
Henri writes about the most famous person in the story: the younger son, the prodigal son. He says Rembrandt at a young age “had all the characteristics of the prodigal son: brash, self confident, spendthrift, sensual, and very arrogant”. The artist earned a lot, spent a lot, and lost a lot. The painting is about [...]
Posted in Henri Nouwen, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers on Mar 9th, 2013
The book, “Return of the Prodigal Son”, is based on Nouwen’s reflections on a Rembrandt painting called Prodigal Son, which hangs in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Prologue and Introduction tell of Henri’s encounter with the painting itself in 1986 and his move to the L’Arche Daybreak community in the town of Richmond [...]
Posted in Henri Nouwen, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers on Mar 9th, 2013
Some of my friends at St. Patrick’s may have noticed that I was scheduled to preach this weekend. As they (whoever they are) like to say nothing makes God smile more than people making plans. It turns out that this weekend is ShareLife Sunday, the annual appeal for folks to give to various Catholic Charities. [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers on Feb 7th, 2013
Below is a homily from my deacon friend and elder, Robert Kinghorn. I have always enjoyed Robert’s sharing about the small Christian community in Scotland called the Community of the Transfiguration. Here is a homily Robert delivered a few weeks past on the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time. It is a message worth thinking about. [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Nov 24th, 2012
Please click here to download a Printer Friendly copy. “[The] wonderful irony at the heart of the Christian proclamation: the King of the Universe is a crucified criminal, who utterly spends himself in love.” Fr. Robert Barron If I was a brave person, I would end the homily right here with this quote. We could [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Nov 23rd, 2012
If you dropped by on Tuesday you would have noticed the “This Sunday” post. This week I encourage you, if you have not already done so, to listen to Fr. Robert Barron’s homily. Fr. Barron, as he often does, spends most of his reflection examining the link between the old testament reading about the anointing [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike, This Sunday on Nov 21st, 2012
Below is an extended clip from the movie The Gospel of John. The first 2 minutes or so deals with our reading for this weekend which I have included below the clip. The entire 7 minutes is worth watching as we prepare to explore the story of a king like no other. Gospel John 18:33b-37 [...]
Posted in Big Questions on Nov 3rd, 2012
This week we celebrated two important days in the Church calendar. According to our friends (I hope I can call them that) over at the Catholic Encyclopedia these feast days are remembered for the following reasons: All Saints Day ( November 1st) Solemnity celebrated on the first of November. It [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Oct 15th, 2012
(Click here for a Printer Friendly Copy) The gospel story of the rich young man easily makes it into my top five wisdom teachings of Jesus and offers us insights into how Jesus encourages us to live lives of radical love by practicing the Spirituality of Subtraction. The story revolves around a great question of [...]
