Archive - Dec 2009 - Oct 2019 http://colleagueslist.blogspot/.ca http://colleagueslistii.blogspot.com/
GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address: waholst@telus.net
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*****
Dear Friends:
I am sorry to announce the death this week of Rolande
Parel, partner of long-time colleague Tony Parel, who
has been a faithful friend and CL reader for many years.
Rolande's Calgary memorial service date remains to be
announced.
My Special Item this week is a status report on "fallen
heroes" in my life. Where am I in my thinking about
many of them right now?
Please enjoy some of the other items I've collected
for you in this issue as well.
Wayne
NOTE A REMINDER - If a link, below seems to be dead,
cut and paste it into the address bar at the top of your
web page and it should work.
*****
SPECIAL ITEM
WHEN HEROES FALL
This brief reflection is a work in progress. I won't be
definitive today about my views of the first five Net
Notes items (below) but I do intend a "progress report"
in my own thinking.
Black Lives Matter and the Me/Too Movement have grown
global in nature, making racism and sexism much larger
issues for our time than I might have imagined previously.
The first five Net Notes, below, speak about the evils of
colonialism, slave culture and sexual abuse of trusting
persons in a spiritual relationship. All of these issues have
been with us for a long time, but we seem to be living in
a unique moment when long-repressed evils are now
profoundly exposed. What will we do about it?
Colonialism
Cecil Rhodes has long been held in high esteem by
cultures that have grown rich through unjust economies.
When we were in South Africa, we heard rumblings
about the Rhodes and Kreugers, even though we also
heard much praise. Global cultures are shifting in their
thinking about who benefited and who didn't.
Cecil Rhodes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Rhodes
Slave Economies
I have long been a student of the American Civil War
and Abraham Lincoln. The Civil Rights Act was a very
important post-civil war development, but who would
have anticipated the final demise of the Confederate
flag, numerous southern generals and the Old South?
Robert E. Lee
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Lee
Canada Needs to Look at Itself
It has been convenient for us to deflect criticism
to the British and the Americans. We have tended
to reap the benefits while avoiding self-condemnation.
In an interdependent world where a great virus
can affect everyone equally, we are no longer free
to be righteous about our record.
Jean Vanier
Who has stood taller in Canadian eyes - both secular
and spiritual - than Jean Vanier and the Vanier family?
This week we learned that a major Canadian Catholic
publisher, Novalis of Toronto, will no longer be
selling Jean Vanier's books. Ontario Catholic Boards
will be removing Jean Vanier's name from their schools.
A year ago we reported Vanier's saintly death. Just
months ago we discovered that a number of women
have credibly reported sexual intimacies and abuses
by this man whom everyone trusted implicitly.
Since then, anger and betrayal have flared, where
previously there had been assumed trust and much
godly inspiration.
Jean Vanier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Vanier
Who, indeed can be trusted today?
Where I Am Today
I am not ready to dump Cecil Rhodes or Robert E Lee
into the trash bins of history.
I need to learn a great deal more about slavery and
the treatment of Blacks, Indigenous peoples and others
in my own country over the past four centuries.
It is good to learn of the development of Black historical-
writing by Blacks themselves. This is a real breakthrough.
The New York Times has taken the lead in this, but many
others are now following. I have much new history to
learn.
Jean Vanier was a trusted friend, with whom I kept in
touch for many decades. I am not ready to dismiss all
the good he invested in his communities of L'Arche;
even as I continue to believe he sinned and L'Arche
itself is resilient and can move beyond Vanier himself.
Concluding Thoughts for Now
That said, I know my mind on these matters has been
evolving and will continue to change. How all this will
turn out, I am not yet ready to say.
Is is possible to maintain two differing truths in
suspension at the same time?
I pray God's spirit will guide the thinking of all of us -
wherever we find ourselves and wherever this will lead.
My heart goes out to the victims - all of them.
That includes the fallen heroes, whom I've come to
move past respecting in the way I did in the past, but
who are still human and not past Christ's redemption
- like me.
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
Jim Taylor,
Okanagan. BC
Personal Web Log
June 5th, 2020
"Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight"
https://tinyurl.com/yblvscn2
--
Mark Whittall,
Ottawa, ON.
Sermons and Blog
June 12th, 2020
"Be the Church"
https://tinyurl.com/ycy8zky4
--
Philip Yancey,
Colorado
Philipyancey.com
June 12th, 2020
"After the Protests and Riots What?"
https://tinyurl.com/ycp6flmr
--
Ron Rolheiser,
San Antonio, TX
Personal Web Site
June 15th, 2020
"Dignity"
https://tinyurl.com/yd5wrdoe
*****
NET NOTES
RHODES STATUE QUESTIONED AT OXFORD
Colonial Hero Loses His Image and Status
The Guardian,
June 17th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/yc3oavnp
--
YES, CONFEDERATE NAMES DO MATTER
It Takes Time to Work Through the Past
Religion News Service,
June `16th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/y78tr76c
YES, CONFEDERATE NAMES DO MATTER
It Takes Time to Work Through the Past
Religion News Service,
June `16th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/y78tr76c
--
HISTORY OF SLAVERY GOES
BACK 400 YEARS IN CANADA
Yet, We've Been Blind to It
Global News
June 12th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/ycbs643x
HISTORY OF SLAVERY GOES
BACK 400 YEARS IN CANADA
Yet, We've Been Blind to It
Global News
June 12th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/ycbs643x
--
IN CANADA IT'S "RACISM WITH A SMILE"
DONOVAN BAILEY REFLECTS ON BIAS
Olympian Assesses Decades of Experience
CTV.ca
June 5th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/ybvll237
IN CANADA IT'S "RACISM WITH A SMILE"
DONOVAN BAILEY REFLECTS ON BIAS
Olympian Assesses Decades of Experience
CTV.ca
June 5th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/ybvll237
--
SCHOOL BOARDS TO ERASE VANIER NAME
Founder of L'Arche Now Viewed as an Abuser
Catholic Register,
June 14th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/y7mg83lj
SCHOOL BOARDS TO ERASE VANIER NAME
Founder of L'Arche Now Viewed as an Abuser
Catholic Register,
June 14th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/y7mg83lj
--
HOW CHURCHES RALLIED
DURING A PANDEMIC
Committed to Stay Together
Broadview,
June 9th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/ycwy8jyn
HOW CHURCHES RALLIED
DURING A PANDEMIC
Committed to Stay Together
Broadview,
June 9th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/ycwy8jyn
--
READY TO GO BACK TO CHURCH?
Ten Things to Consider Beforehand
Religion News Service,
June 12th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/ychqcv3r
--
WHEN WILL IT BE SAFE
READY TO GO BACK TO CHURCH?
Ten Things to Consider Beforehand
Religion News Service,
June 12th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/ychqcv3r
--
WHEN WILL IT BE SAFE
TO SING TOGETHER AGAIN?
A Question Many are Asking
New York Times,
June 9th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/y7v9body
A Question Many are Asking
New York Times,
June 9th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/y7v9body
--
FOUR WAYS TO TELL A PROPHET
FROM A POLITICAL PUPPET
There is Considerable Biblical Advice
Religion News Service,
June 11th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/yc677p34
FOUR WAYS TO TELL A PROPHET
FROM A POLITICAL PUPPET
There is Considerable Biblical Advice
Religion News Service,
June 11th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/yc677p34
--
NWT DENE FIRST NATION PARK
WINS U.N. INTERNATIONAL PRIZE
In the Top 10 of 600 Nominations
CBC.ca
June 6th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/y7fqrneg
NWT DENE FIRST NATION PARK
WINS U.N. INTERNATIONAL PRIZE
In the Top 10 of 600 Nominations
CBC.ca
June 6th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/y7fqrneg
--
FOR SALE - HAIR OF THE VIRGIN MARY
What Does Our Secular World Want With It?
The New York Times,
June 15th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/y6vbve6t
FOR SALE - HAIR OF THE VIRGIN MARY
What Does Our Secular World Want With It?
The New York Times,
June 15th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/y6vbve6t
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners and the Bruderhof online:
Those who know the Lord are never alone. Solitary
times are opportunities to know him in greater depth.
In order to be free for this new level of being, all self-
pity must be conquered. Our self-centeredness must
be reckoned for the enemy it is. God cannot squeeze
into a self-centered heart.
- Anna Mow
--
For faith communities, reparations must not be only
an effort to compensate for past harms, they must also
chart a pathway to a just future. Otherwise, reparations
become little more than a salve for white guilt while the
sin of white supremacy continues to thrive.
- Kelly Brown Douglas, "A Christian Call for Reparations"
--
People believe that we live in the end times, and many
terrible signs make such a belief all too credible.
But isn’t it irrelevant? Don’t we all realize that, no matter
when we live, God can call us at a moment’s notice?
How do I know if I’ll even be alive tomorrow morning?
- Sophie Scholl
--
Eternity is a very radical thought, and thus a matter of
inwardness. Whenever the reality of the eternal is affirmed,
the present becomes something entirely different from what
it was apart from it. This is precisely why human beings fear
it (under the guise of fearing death). You often hear about
particular governments that fear the restless elements of
society. I prefer to say that the entire age is a tyrant that
lives in fear of the one restless element: the thought of
eternity. It does not dare to think it. Why? Because it
crumbles under – and avoids like anything – the weight
of inwardness.
- Søren Kierkegaard
--
Do not be one who stretches out the hands to receive
but withdraws them when it comes to giving. If you earn
something by working with your hands, you shall give a
ransom for your sins. You shall not hesitate to give, nor
shall you grumble when giving, for you will know who is
the good paymaster of the reward. You shall not turn
away from someone in need, but shall share everything
with your brother or sister, and do not claim that anything
is your own. For if you are sharers in what is imperishable,
how much more so in perishable things!
- the Didache
--
Dietrich Are you worried because you find it so hard to
believe? Don’t be surprised at the difficulty f faith, if
there is some part of your life where you are consciously
resisting or disobeying the commandment of Jesus. Is
there some part of your life which you are refusing to
surrender at his behest, some sinful passion, maybe,
or some animosity, some hope, perhaps your ambition
or your reason? If so, you must not be surprised that you
have not received the Holy Spirit, that prayer is difficult,
or that your request for faith remains unanswered....
The person who disobeys cannot believe. Only if you
obey can you believe.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
-
The Master never wrote anything down, nor did he ask
his followers to record his teachings. His words are spirit
and life. Spirit can only infuse spirit. Life can only infuse life.
The Master’s teaching cannot be contained on the pages
of a book. Other great teachers left behind books to replace
the living voice, to guide and help their bereft followers.
But the Master did not do this, because he has not left us.
He is always with us, and his living voice guides and
counsels us. His followers recorded his teachings after
his ascension as a help to those who cannot yet perceive
his living presence. In the end, however, when people
ask me, “What made you a follower of the Master?”
I can only answer: the Master.
- Sadhu Sundar Singh
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - bell hooks
Love is profoundly political. Our deepest revolution
will come when we understand this truth.
(end)
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners and the Bruderhof online:
Those who know the Lord are never alone. Solitary
times are opportunities to know him in greater depth.
In order to be free for this new level of being, all self-
pity must be conquered. Our self-centeredness must
be reckoned for the enemy it is. God cannot squeeze
into a self-centered heart.
- Anna Mow
--
For faith communities, reparations must not be only
an effort to compensate for past harms, they must also
chart a pathway to a just future. Otherwise, reparations
become little more than a salve for white guilt while the
sin of white supremacy continues to thrive.
- Kelly Brown Douglas, "A Christian Call for Reparations"
--
People believe that we live in the end times, and many
terrible signs make such a belief all too credible.
But isn’t it irrelevant? Don’t we all realize that, no matter
when we live, God can call us at a moment’s notice?
How do I know if I’ll even be alive tomorrow morning?
- Sophie Scholl
--
Eternity is a very radical thought, and thus a matter of
inwardness. Whenever the reality of the eternal is affirmed,
the present becomes something entirely different from what
it was apart from it. This is precisely why human beings fear
it (under the guise of fearing death). You often hear about
particular governments that fear the restless elements of
society. I prefer to say that the entire age is a tyrant that
lives in fear of the one restless element: the thought of
eternity. It does not dare to think it. Why? Because it
crumbles under – and avoids like anything – the weight
of inwardness.
- Søren Kierkegaard
--
Do not be one who stretches out the hands to receive
but withdraws them when it comes to giving. If you earn
something by working with your hands, you shall give a
ransom for your sins. You shall not hesitate to give, nor
shall you grumble when giving, for you will know who is
the good paymaster of the reward. You shall not turn
away from someone in need, but shall share everything
with your brother or sister, and do not claim that anything
is your own. For if you are sharers in what is imperishable,
how much more so in perishable things!
- the Didache
--
Dietrich Are you worried because you find it so hard to
believe? Don’t be surprised at the difficulty f faith, if
there is some part of your life where you are consciously
resisting or disobeying the commandment of Jesus. Is
there some part of your life which you are refusing to
surrender at his behest, some sinful passion, maybe,
or some animosity, some hope, perhaps your ambition
or your reason? If so, you must not be surprised that you
have not received the Holy Spirit, that prayer is difficult,
or that your request for faith remains unanswered....
The person who disobeys cannot believe. Only if you
obey can you believe.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
-
The Master never wrote anything down, nor did he ask
his followers to record his teachings. His words are spirit
and life. Spirit can only infuse spirit. Life can only infuse life.
The Master’s teaching cannot be contained on the pages
of a book. Other great teachers left behind books to replace
the living voice, to guide and help their bereft followers.
But the Master did not do this, because he has not left us.
He is always with us, and his living voice guides and
counsels us. His followers recorded his teachings after
his ascension as a help to those who cannot yet perceive
his living presence. In the end, however, when people
ask me, “What made you a follower of the Master?”
I can only answer: the Master.
- Sadhu Sundar Singh
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - bell hooks
Love is profoundly political. Our deepest revolution
will come when we understand this truth.
(end)
*****
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