As a pilgrimage, the Camino has been around for about 1200 years. When people were walking it, either by choice or by requirement for penance, they were doing so at great peril. While the path I walked wasn’t an easy one, I can only imagine what the early years must have been like… finding food, protection from the elements, getting lost, having shelter for the night… these are things that modern pilgrims may find challenging, but they are well cared for and benefit from many guides, arrows...
Category: REM Reflections
“Walk your own Camino” was a refrain I heard from many folks before I left for Spain. It didn’t take long for me to realize the importance of that. Some people naturally walked faster or slower than my natural pace. Sometimes I would adjust my speed in the interests of engaging with them, but walking at a pace that is not your own is uncomfortable, regardless of whether it is faster or slower. On the first day, I encountered two people walking together – Hans from Germany and José from Peru....
As many will have heard, my decision to walk the Camino was rooted in a need to strengthen my ‘solitude muscles’ and to find balance with my normal extraverted tendencies. During my process to becoming a minister, the psychologist who did my assessment qualified me as a ‘galloping extrovert’ beyond anyone he had met in his 40 years of service. He warned me of the importance to develop some resilience in times of solitude. The Camino seemed like the right place to hone these skills when it came...
When I survey the wondrous work of the communities of faith in our regional council, I can’t help but be impressed at the work that so many are doing to be the hands and feet of Christ in their context. I am also quite aware of the challenges that face them… lack of ministry personnel, diminishing volunteers, dwindling funds and a sense that there is no future for our church in the years to come. It’s heavy. It’s not an easy burden to bear. It’s a lot like Holy Week. We keep doing what we feel...
God, Goodness, Lord of all, may the humble meditations of my heart and the reflections of Christ’s disciples gathered here, be acceptable to you. And may your corrective whispers in our ears help us hear your voice instead of our own desires. Souffle ton esprit parmi nous lorsque nous réfléchissons ensemble. Amen. Brothers and sisters in the faith, thank you for welcoming me in your circle. It is good to be gathered with those who praise God, those who gather in community to hear how we might...
Based on readings from Isaiah 40:1-11 and Mark 1:1-8 Préparez le chemin pour le Seigneur… À chaque année on a l’occasion d’entendre Jean crier dans le désert… préparez le chemin! Rendez les sentiers droits! Et Ésaïe qui nous parle d’abaisser les montagnes et de lever les vallées pour rendre le chemin plus facile d’accès. Dans chacune des quatre évangiles… dans les livres des prophètes… Préparez-vous! C’est tellement commun qu’on risque perdre le sens de cette préparation qui nous incombe. Et...
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