One theme that has recurred in my Sunday reflections over the past few months is the idea that we receive grace as a gift from God, but inasmuch as that grace is at work in us, we will also give grace to others. As I wrote in November: Grace is a gift but it isn't … Continue reading Growing with Intention: Value Metabolism
Today, August 15, is an ancient feast day that remembers the end of the earthly life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. As such, it represents a wonderful opportunity to eulogize this incredible woman, whom God chose to be the human agent of the Incarnation — the mother of the Son of God — and … Continue reading By Blood & By Grace: A Reflection on the Feast of St Mary
The great physicist Niels Bohr famously wrote: “The opposite of a trivial truth is plainly false. The opposite of a great truth is also true.” This is an idea that I have come to appreciate more and more over the years: The opposites of so many basic values are not falsehoods, but equally profound values. … Continue reading Growing with Intention: Positive-Positive Polarities, or, Dialectical Epistemology
For the past three weeks now, our Sunday Gospels have been following Jesus' long discussion about bread in John's Gospel. Two weeks ago, the scene was introduced by Jesus' miraculous feeding of a large, hungry crowd, which we saw was an object lesson for what the Kingdom of God is like. Last week's reading showed … Continue reading What Fills You Up: A Reflection on John 6.35, 41-51
Before I moved to Toronto, I used to live in Victoria, a beautiful city on the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island. I often found myself showing visitors around, and one of my favorite things to do with them was to take them to Beacon Hill Park, which offers a beautiful mix of carefully tended flower … Continue reading Growing with Intention: Transcendent Beauty
