~~~SisterSea~~~

Faith and Compassion The more I reflected on these readings, the more the themes of faith and compassion jumped out at me.   Compassion, not only for others, but also for ourselves.   Before delving into these themes, I just want to say a bit about the Book of the Prophet Isaiah as a whole. The Book of Isaiah, comprising 66 chapters, was compiled over a period of about two centuries (the latter half of the 8th to the latter half of the 6th century BCE), the Book of Isaiah is generally divided by scholars into three major sections, which are called First Isaiah (chapters 1–39), Second Isaiah (chapters 40–55), and Third Isaiah (chapters 56–66).   First Isaiah consisting of chapters 1–39, was written in Jerusalem from 740 to 700 BCE and contains the words and prophecies of Isaiah.   Second Isaiah , chapters 40–55, was written by members of the “school” of Isaiah in Babylon prior to and after the conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE by the Persian king Cyrus II the Great....

  Openness and Hope Happy New Year everyone.   Today, we are celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany.   For us, as Christians, epiphany is the celebration and remembrance of the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.   An epiphany is also defined as a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the essential meaning of something.   These meanings merged for me as engaged today’s readings. One verse from the second reading and two verses from the Gospel jumped out at me as I reflected on today's readings.   I think the current health and environmental issues facing the world, and in particular, our province, were the reasons for this.   The first verse that struck me was Ephesians 3:6, which states: the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel [Ephesians 3:6, NRSV]. At the time of Jesus, the apostles and when Paul was writing, “gent...