July 2004

I expect this document to create a certain amount of media buzz, so rather than force you to simply read press reports I thought it best to provide a link to the original document: On the collaboration of men and women in the Church and in the world.

While planning the prayers of the faithful for this weekend, we consulted a book in our parish liturgy library: Prayers of the Faithful: cycles A, B, and C (be sure to read the review at the bottom of the page). I really cannot begin to describe how wretched much of this book is. Take, for example, these suggested prayers for Thanksgiving (year A):

I’ve heard about recording artists receiving a “gold record” when they sell a certain number of copies of an album (I suppose it is a “gold CD” now) but I’d never seen one up close…..until today. I was visiting with an elderly couple who have recently moved into the parish (they had invited me over for supper), and as part of the grand tour I saw one of these gold records on the wall, all bright and shiny.

…which may include most of you in blogland, I have been appointed temporary administrator of Saint Thomas à Becket while the pastor prepares to leave on a short sabbatical at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He has started his own blog as a way to keep us updated on his adventures, although it currently only has a couple of “experimental” entries.

I went out for lunch today with the deacon of our parish, Deacon Richard Boileau, who in his day job is Executive Director of Health Partners International, a NGO which ships free medicines to developing nations. We had a very nice chat, sharing on our respective vocations, as well as on how we see the developing role of the laity in the Church. He pointed me to this article written by the late Claude Ryan, which really is quite good.

With the Captain currently on shore leave, I am now the acting head of this vessel, the “Becket”, named after a man who died a martyr. As I begin these log entries, I am hoping the same fate will not befall me….or if it does, that at least it’ll have been worth it.

I’ve been the First Officer on this ship for almost 2 years now — a very interesting tour of duty, I must say. I myself just returned from shore leave just last Friday, and am feeling quite refreshed.

Today I got a letter from the couple Fr. Stephen and I met when we were in Quebec City a few weeks ago. It included a photo of the 4 of us, as well as a couple of road maps how to get to their place. A hint, perhaps? I’m itching to go, although California is a bit far from here!

While in Ottawa I had a chance to see my aunt Michaele and her son Heath, along with my other cousin Lukas. I don’t see them nearly enough, especially since Michaele and Heath live in Iowa. It was a nice reunion.

As we were chatting, my aunt told me that she had reestablished contact with a “long-lost” cousin of mine, Chad, who now lives in Vancouver. I don’t think I’ve seen Chad or his sister in 25 years, for reasons I’m not going to blog about (family stuff, you understand). Given that I’m only 33, though, that is a long time ago.

Today’s first reading is the famous passage in Genesis in which Abraham and God negotiate regarding the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (mainly Sodom). Abraham gets God to promise that he will not destroy Sodom if 50 just men can be found there. He then starts to talk God down, until finally God agrees to not destroy the city if only 10 can be found there. But it made me wonder, why stop at 10? Why didn’t Abraham try for an even better deal, say 5, or just 2 or 3?

There has been a debate raging on Mark Shea’s blog, as well as on Disputations(more posts than this one on the topic — look around), regarding the topic of forgiveness. The issue of debate seems to be the question, “What conditions can we place on the forgiveness we offer to another?”

Before going on vacation I informed my pastor that, in his absence (as his vacation starts as soon as mine is over) I was planning on redecorating the TV room — specifically, by removing the TV. I find the TV to be (for me at least) an occasion of sin with a remote control — especially for the sin of sloth, which starts as mere couch potato syndrome but which so easily leads to genuine acedia.

Today I had the opportunity to go out with 3 friends (2 of whom I have known since high school) for a round of golf. 4.5 hours in the burning sun, with high humidity….and yet it was lots of fun, even if my score was terrible! I’ve found that since my ribcage injury earlier this year my swing is really off….it’s like by brain is still telling my body to protect itself and not move in certain ways. Still, I did manage to par hole #17, which was a highlight of the afternoon.

Quebec City is blessed with the presence of 3 beatified persons, and today Fr. Stephen and I decided to visit a couple of two of them:  Blessed Marie de l’Incarnation and Blessed Marie-Catherine of Saint-Augustine.

Well, technically we didn’t visit Jesus’ grandmother….we visited part of her forearm. Today Fr. Stephen and I made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint-Anne-de-Beaupré, the oldest pilgrimage site in North America. Saint Anne, apart from being Mary’s mother (and therefore the grandmother of Jesus), is also the patron saint of Quebec. The shrine itself centres on a stunning basilica with a beautiful way of the cross set into the adjacent hillside. It really is magnificent.

Today Fr. Stephen and I took a 1.5 hour boat cruise on the St. Laurence river, to get to the island of Grosse-Île. Among other things, it is the resting place of thousands of Irish who died of typhus contracted while making the transatlantic voyage during the Famine of 1845-1850. Fr. Stephen and I prayed the Office for the Dead as we sat on a park bench facing the cemetary.

So Fr. Stephen and I visited the Quebec parliament building today, also known as the National Assembly. Being on vacation we went dressed in our “civilian” clothes — shorts, t-shirts, Fr. Stephen in his straw cowboy hat, etc. As we were being given a tour of the building by the official guide, she asked us what we did for a living. When Fr. Stephen mentioned that we were both priests, she exclaimed:

“Des prètres! Mais c’est une espèce en voie de disparition, n’est-ce pas?”

Fr. Stephen and I went to nearby St. Patricks parish in Quebec City, which is the home of the English-speaking Catholics of this Archdiocese. We were very warmly received by the community, and had the chance to concelebrate mass there.

Well, this morning I drove from Montreal to Quebec City, to continue my vacation (have I mentioned that I am on vacation?) Quebec City has to be one of the most beautiful cities in North America, and it easily has the most European feel to it.

This evening I had a chance to go out for supper with the Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, Archbishop Luigi Ventura. Not that he knew who I was before the evening began. I know one of his secretaries, Mdgr. Serge Poitras, who was a professor of mine at the seminary. A gang of us were going to go visit Serge in Ottawa, and when the Nuncio heard about it he offered to take us out to supper. Well I wasn’t about to refuse that!

What a great retreat. Two weeks seems long, and by the end I was ready to come back “into the world”, but a big part of me wishes I could have stayed longer.

My final reflections from my retreat at Oka had to do with the very theme of this blog, “Waiting in Joyful Hope”. I was reflecting on a homily I recently heard, and I realised why it bugged me so much. In it the speaker offered the usual platitude that we Christians have to act to “make the world a better place”. Now I agree with this, in the sense that I don’t want us acting to make the world a worse place. But is that really the end goal? When I hear preachers say we need to work to “build the Kingdom of God”, what do they really mean?

As I mentioned previously, a review of my personal Rule has led me to examine certain elements of my life and, more specifically, some of the activities I am involved in.

I have come to the peaceful conclusion, first of all, that my parish work is first and foremost where God wants me to be. God wants me at St. Thomas a Becket, at least for the time being, and until my bishop sends me elsewhere this is where I must wholeheartedly apply my “devoir d’état”.

An important day for my American friends…..I hope it was full of joy for you.

What made day 12 significant, relative to the remarkable day 11, was how ordinary it was. I was all excited to go to chapel, and enter into prayer, seeking that closeness with the Lord again, and what happened? Dryness and distraction. I had trouble just starting off the prayer, and it felt like all I had to offer was my being there.

This was the awesome day my two lines of reflection — total obedience to the Holy Spirit, and the reading of the book on how to enter into comtemplative prayer — converged.

First of all, my reflection on the “total obedience” thing had been limited up until this point to a review of the various activities I am involved in, to see which really came from God and which originated in my own worldliness. This is a worthwhile exercise, to be sure, but somewhat limited.

Today was the funeral of Sean’s younger brother, so I was back in town once again. Turning out to be an odd retreat, this one! But this wound up being my last occasion to play hooky.