One of my most favorite things to do over the Christmas Season is to sit in front of the Christmas Tree and Crèche. I keep the light slow and I simply gaze, reflect and ponder. I let my imagination sometimes transport me to a (…)
December 2018
“the child in my womb leaped for joy.” Luke 1:39-45 Two moms-to-be embrace full of hope and promise life itself stirs within them their hearts are lifted in praise. Great joy in their meeting great joy surrounds the child of the wombs great joy (…)
A Christmas tradition for the Franciscan friars and the local community in Cochrane, AB, is the Greccio Christmas pageant at the beginning of Advent. Just as last year, many people from Cochrane and Calgary came to Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre for this (…)
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. – Philippians 4.4 That line has echoed through my mind today several times. Maybe because it is the Third Week of Advent and the sense of rejoicing for the coming Christmas season is growing. (…)
For at least the past 5 years as I have brushed my teeth in the morning I have prayed a prayer attributed to Mother Teresa and have ended with this line from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “I am confident of this, (…)
A very special part of becoming a Franciscan is the novitiate year, which is a year of preparation prior to making initial vows. For Canadian friars, this also means a time away from the Canadian community that they got to know during their (…)
Advent: this season is before all else about hope. Before waiting or joy or preparing this season is about hope. Hope because we walk in the light that broke the darkness at that first Christmas. Hope because that light has continued to (…)
