~~~SisterSea~~~

First Reading: The Assumption Responsorial Psalm: Luke 1:46-55 Second Reading: Acts 1:6-14 Gospel: John 2:1-11 Feminist theologians dispute the view of Our Lady as the docile woman, untouched by the every day life of a woman with a husband and a child or children.   They point out that, when Mary said “Be it done according to Your Word”, she was, in fact saying “Yes” to disobey the religious and social conventions of her day.   Betrothal, in ancient Jewish law, was akin to being married, except the couple did not live together.   Therefore, Mary could have been charged as an adulteress.   As we know, an angel stepped in and told Joseph not to press charges, so to speak.   We also know that she did not abandon her Son; and was at the foot of the cross even though it was probably dangerous to be there. So Mary was no pushover, she was faithful to the call of God in her early life and, later on, even when that meant going against the authorities. ...

Shared Homily Starter First Reading: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15, 31 Second Reading: Ephesians 4:17-24 Gospel:   John 6:24-35 To start the shared homily, I will just share a few thoughts on each of the readings and give a brief discussion of what questions the readings raised for me. When I looked at today's readings, the idea of gift kept echoing in my mind.   The first reading from the Exodus tells us that the Israelites quickly forgot God's gift of freedom from Egyptian oppression as they began their journey in the desert.   It tells how our loving God sent heavenly bread and meat to feed them when they complained they had no food.   I think it is important to situate this reading in the context of the whole chapter in which it appears.   You see, the only requests God made was that they should gather enough to eat and that they not try to save any of the bread or meat for the next day.   However, some of them did not heed the Creator's instru...

Untitled from toddboyle on Vimeo .

God’s Voice Will Not Be Silenced Speaking Truth to Power This reading tells me that there are consequences to speaking truth to power, often deadly consequences.   But, God’s voice will not be silenced.    We are told that John spoke against King Herod’s marriage to his brother’s wife, Herodias.   Herodias was not too pleased about this negative publicity.   So she bides her time.   She uses Herod’s hastily spoken promise to her daughter to silence John once and for all. But God’s voice will not be silenced.   We are told in the stories just before this that Jesus was rejected in his own home town of Nazareth.   Jesus left Nazareth but he was not deterred by this rejection.   He sent the twelve out two by two and Jesus and his disciples carried on God’s call to repentance when John no longer could.   Speaking truth to power continues to have devastating consequences.   In 2004, I went on a women’s del...

I always find it interesting to look at the verses that are omitted in the lectionary Gospel reading.   As you will have realized if you looked at the verses listed in your Missal and Missalettes, there are at least 11 verses missing.   This discussion starter is based on today’s reading including the omitted verses. For me, the Gospel of John provides a lens through which to view the words and actions of Jesus in other parts of Scripture.   In the Gospels of the previous weeks, we have been told to love one another and to abide in God’s love and that we are Christ’s own if we follow his commandment.   Further, that he asks this of us not as a Master but as a friend. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that following him will cost us for a time; that love will cost us for a time.   Jesus also tells us that when he is no longer physically here, we will not be alone because the Spirit of Truth is being sent to guide us. The previous readings emphasize: l...

Dear Tina, Today was an extraordinary day full of (to coin a new oxymoron) ordinary miracles. It began with members from the different groups that form the local Catholic community. We came together to form two pilot small faith community leadership groups. After the six-week Discipleship Program, the members of the pilot group would act as the seed persons who bring together other members of the community to form groups that would work together through Lent. The meeting was followed by a lovely lasagne lunch. Two old 1950s/1960s songs kept running through my head as I stood in a sun shower smoking a cigarette. I think it is the first time I have experienced a winter sun shower. As I gazed up at the trees, I saw a squirrel scrabbling up it. I immediately thought, Spring can’t be too far off. After all, I have seen several squirrels out and about this week. Three of us were in my friend’s van as she drove down Main Street, ahead of us a strikingly well ...

January 15 - February 23, 2010 Last year over 10,000 people in at least 29 different countries participated in this worldwide event. The Dalai Lama has endorsed the Winter Feast for two years now and Deepak Chopra has added his endorsement to the list: “Meditating forty minutes a day for forty days, as done in the Winter Feast for the Soul won’t just further one’s conscious evolution. Humanity will be at peace when enough individuals choose to make peace a part of their spiritual practice.” Deepak Chopra The premise for the Winter Feast is that when people spend a block of time each day focusing inward they will discover there a source of inner peace. That peace, if shared by enough people will spread around the world. Founder, Valerie Skonie, of Hailey Idaho predicts that “a shift in our global consciousness will occur if enough people join us. That kind of shift translates into a new world order that includes wisdom and compassion for all beings.” The initial inspiration for the W...

By Victoria Marie People of colour, close friends Empathy, proclaimed Yet, Joy unshared Bring arrows of pain To understand let us Go back and see What this old black woman Saw as a child on TV Policemen with dogs and hoses Attack my people huddled In defensive poses Angry white crowds shouting, enraged Because black children with theirs being schooled While soldiers surround the black children Protecting their right to what the Supreme Court ruled Three young men missing, murdered For helping Black people register to vote With no one brought to justice Until 30 years later, a sad footnote Obama’s election, no big deal to you Full citizenship has always been your right However, for people of colour, sometimes Just to stay sane is a fight “You can grow up to be president” They tell us in school, but black students face The constricting clarifying message “President, not people of your race.” So you see, it’s not that he will Make all the nation’s problems go away But millions of Black Am...

CPTnet 22 March 2008 by Julian Gutierrez Castaño Translated by Michele Braley "…¿Adónde van los desaparecidos? Busca en el agua y en los matorrales. ¿Y por qué es que se desaparecen? Porque no todos somos iguales. ("Where have the disappeared gone? Look in the water and in the brush. And why do they disappear? Because we are not all equal ...") The sun warmed Washington, D.C. as did the colorful crowd that gathered in Dupont Plaza on 6 March 2008—an unusually balmy day. The Colombians, and the usual crowd of sympathetic "gringo" human rights activists, carried signs depicting the plight of the victims of the armed conflict that has plagued Colombia since the late 1940s. A unionist displaced by the political right that holds power in Colombia gave testimony. So did the daughter of one of the many victims who were not supposed to proclaim that in Colombia inequality is perpetuated by the State, that the people are devoured by alligators (the state security force...

Kingston , Ontario February 15, 2008 Kingston Regional Police took Bob Lovelace away from the courthouse in handcuffs this morning to serve a six month sentence on a contempt of court charge handed down by Justice Douglas Cunningham. Lovelace, age fifty-nine, is an ex-chief and spokesperson for the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFN). He is also father to seven children and an instructor at Queen’s University and Sir Sandford Fleming Community College . Justice Cunningham imposed a fine of $25,000 on Lovelace and $10,000 on his community. Lovelace said “I am in a dilemma. I want to obey Canadian law but Algonquin law instructs me that I must preserve Creation. I must follow Algonquin law.” Judge Cunningham in his sentencing said, “There can only be one law – the law of Canada as expressed in this court.” Co-chief Paula Sherman and Honorary Chief Harold Perry agreed to abide by the terms of an injunction which forbids them from blocking Frontenac Ventures ...

Thursday, February 14, 2008 PRESS RELEASE - English FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' VOICE CENSURED AT UNITED NATIONS Rome , Feb. 14, 2008 - This morning Indigenous Peoples' representatives formally withdrew from the Working Group on Protected Areas of the Convention on Biological Diversity to protest their exclusion from this meeting held at FAO headquarters in the Italian capital. Before leaving the plenary, Indigenous leaders put on symbolic gags and held up protest signs. After Jannie Lasimbang of the Kudasan People of Malaysia read a statement, the indigenous delegation and some Non-Governmental Organizations left the meeting which was suspended upon their departure. The Indigenous Peoples' statement read: "Mr. Chairman, we have made great efforts to be part of this process. However, it is with great disappointment that from the very beginning of this Working Group on Protected Areas meeting we have found ourselves marginalized and without opportunity t...

Turtle Women Rising are needed in Washington D.C. on October 10-13 2008 in front of the White House. Bring your drums, prayers, and your songs. For more information, please visit: Turtle Women Rising

In violation of United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous People the U.S. government plans to forcibly take land from the Lipan Apache people to construct a fence and levee to keep illegal immigrants from crossing the U.S. border. The following is a letter from Margo Tamez, the daughter of a family being threatened by agents of the U.S. government. Dear Relatives, I wish I was writing under better circumstances, but I must be fast and direct. My mother and elders of El Calaboz, since July have been the targets of numerous threats and harassments by the Border Patrol, Army Corps of Engineers, National Security Agency (NSA), and other U.S. government agents who want to put a fence on their levee on Apache land. Since July, they have been the targets of numerous telephone calls, unexpected and uninvited visits. The agents informed the Apache that they will have to relinquish parts of their land grant holdings to the border fence buildup. The NSA demands tha...