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Good Friday

It’s Good Friday, the day Christians remember the death of Jesus. To remember more vividly, I prayed the stations of the cross at a Catholic church. The prayers led us in imagining ourselves as bystanders of Jesus as he carried his cross to the place of his execution, then envisioning Christ’s presence in our daily lives and relationships. At the end of the prayers, we made our way to the cross, kneeling before Christ to pray our silent prayers.

Easter Saturday

It’s Easter Saturday — the day after we commemorate the death of Jesus. Jesus is in the grave. It’s the Sabbath, the day of rest, so his friends cannot embalm him, or prepare for a funeral — it would go against Jewish law. But how necessary was that enforced rest for them. They must have been exhausted with shock and grief.

Happy Easter!

Christ is risen!

In our tradition, we respond, “He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!” And we joyfully proclaimed it this morning!

I feel blessed to overflowing. This weekend I went to four different churches, using the different expressions of prayer, praise, and worship to lead me more deeply into Jesus’ paschal journey.

On Maundy Thursday, we sat at the table where Jesus shared his last meal with his friends, celebrated the Jewish passover, and remembered that Jesus is our passover lamb.

One of those days

You know the kind of day when you want to quickly mow the lawn before starting your taxes (last year’s, but who’s counting), and you bring down the compost since you’re going to the backyard anyway, and find the bin open because you wanted the rain to water it (which it did, copiously), so you seize the moment and stir it too?....I’m having one of those lives.

Grace on butterfly wings

I’ve made a renewed commitment to pray every day. I can’t manage life’s busyness and stress without prayer. And now that summer is here, I like taking my Bible to the garden or park, where I find it easier to connect with God, and disconnect from my to-do list.

Breathing in God on Maundy Thursday

It's Maundy Thursday, the day Christians celebrate Jesus' last supper with his disciples. This is the meal during which Jesus took an ordinary loaf of bread, blessed it, and proclaimed it his broken body, given for them. They didn't know at the time that he was foretelling his death 12 hours later.

This morning, looking forward to Easter, I put on Christian music and logged into work. I should do that more often; it was very uplifting. At lunchtime I was even singing (that's one of the benefits of working from home). Then I gave a friend a quick call.

"You're cheerful today! How's work going?," he asked.

"Awful," I replied. "I have to work this weekend. We're unprepared for the launch, and it's on Monday."

"You're dealing with it really well."

And I was; I managed to stay peaceful through the chaos. How was that possible? Often, I don't succeed.

I brought God into the chaos. That made all the difference.

Pray for Peace at Christmas

It’s Christmas – the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus two millennia ago. One of the carols we often sing is, “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see they lie.” Until this year I envisioned a peaceful village when I sang it, replete with angelic choirs, awestruck shepherds, and the blessed Virgin Mary and Joseph admiring the newborn baby Jesus. This summer I imagined myself celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem this year, anticipating my visit to Palestine.

What are riches?

Are you rich? While your immediate answer may be based on how you compare to your neighbours, your aspirations, or how stressed you are at the end of the month, it's actually a much more complicated question. Take a moment to get in touch with what you identify as true riches, the kind that will matter at the end of your life, and ask yourself again - how rich are you?

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