Leap Year Challenge is More Love

Michael Perras, OFM

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On Valentine’s Day I received a card from some whom I love and respect very much. In the card there was a reflection which stated, “One could/should have every day of the year full of Love. In 2020 we get one extra day. As people of God, we should rejoice and be glad. We are all challenged to every day life. To be there for others who struggle – in joy or sorrow. God loves us unconditionally; God accepts us and tries each day to mould us into the commandants of love. It’s not easy, but love everyone, each day and everything around us.”

This reflection has been flowing through my thoughts over the last week. It has haunted me when I have not loved well the others in my life, my brothers with whom I live or even myself. It has encouraged me to reflect on my actions and words and thoughts; how is love penetrating my everyday? It has caused me to pause and remember that in all the busy, all the doing, all the demands and tasks that God’s love is present and this love is be my pattern of living.

We read in the first letter of John: “Perfect love casts out fear” and In the Islam tradition a quote by Fazil reads “Love is the hidden way into the sanctuary of God.” It is tough to admit that much of our fear has to do with love. We fear we are not loved enough, that no one can love us, that we are not worthy of love by another, a community or God. It is foolishness really and still we let it be what guides us. Perfect love we will never know until we are embraced in heaven, but our actions each day make known a taste of this perfect love. The way we “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5.38-48) is the hidden way. The sanctuary of God resides in each one of us. We are vessels of love, called to perfect that love more each day. We are vessels of love, aware that others are hurting and so are we but that does not mean that love is not present. We are vessels of love; with each breath we breathe in God and breath out fear, for our God is love present always.

God’s acceptance is unconditional because we are made in the image and likeness of love. How amazing is that? Being moulded and shaped into the commandment of love is to love our neighbours and love God. May we imprint into our hearts, our living, our breathing that we are holy, for God is holy (Leviticus 19.1-2). This is the truth of love, that holiness is woven into all we are: today – good or bad, in this Leap Year with a bonus day and always whether the sun shines or not.

Here we are one week away from that extra day in 2020.
What are you going to do about it?

Here we are days way from Lent – “The Season of Love”.
How are you going to add more love to the world with an extra day to do it?

How are you going to rejoice and be glad that God’s love is everlasting?

Maybe Leap Year can remind us that we experience ‘bonus’ days of love all the time, not just on February 29 and not just when all is perfect or right or good. As another valentine reminded me, “My heart is bigger than my hat!” Does that not give an increasing image of the God of love? I think so and I rejoice and am glad because of it!

Blessings on the week ahead!
Happy Leap Year!
Let love be our way, our truth, our life – for it is our very breath.

 

 

 

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About the author

Friar Michael Perras, OFM was born and raised in rural Saskatchewan, the oldest of four. Along with his siblings he grew up in his parent’s grocery store where he learned about community and service. Brother Michael appreciates quiet moments of prayer, music, Lego, journaling, being creative in the kitchen, lingering meals, socks, collecting quotes and Christmas. One of his greatest joys is being an uncle and a Godfather. His favorite Saints are of course St. Michael, St. Francis and St. Clare. His favorite Bible story is Noah’s Ark and his favorite parable is the Lost Coin in Luke 15. Prior to joining the Franciscans, he served in several communities as a Youth Minister and Pastoral Assistant. Brother Michael holds Certificates in Youth Ministry, Lay Ministry, Liturgical Studies, and Spiritual Direction along with a Bachelor of Theology degree. He is a non-ordained Franciscan Friar (Brother), solemnly professed since August 2019. He is the Guardian (local leader) of the Franciscan community at The Mount, serves as part of the Retreat Team and is on the Canadian Franciscan Provincial Council.

Contact Michael Perras, OFM

Provincial Office
6455, avenue Louis-Riel
Montreal (Quebec)
H1M 1P1

Phone : 514 259-2542
communications@ofmca.com

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Last updated: November 22, 2021

This Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.

We use Your Personal data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

  • Account means a unique account created for You to access our Service or parts of our Service.
  • Company (referred to as either “the Company”, “We”, “Us” or “Our” in this Agreement) refers to Franciscans of Canada, 5870 Boulevard Rosemont.
  • Cookies are small files that are placed on Your computer, mobile device or any other device by a website, containing the details of Your browsing history on that website among its many uses.
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Collecting and Using Your Personal Data

Types of Data Collected

Personal Data

While using Our Service, We may ask You to provide Us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:

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  • Usage Data

Usage Data

Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service.

Usage Data may include information such as Your Device’s Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

When You access the Service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device You use, Your mobile device unique ID, the IP address of Your mobile device, Your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browser You use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

We may also collect information that Your browser sends whenever You visit our Service or when You access the Service by or through a mobile device.

Tracking Technologies and Cookies

We use Cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on Our Service and store certain information. Tracking technologies used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze Our Service. The technologies We use may include:

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Cookies can be “Persistent” or “Session” Cookies. Persistent Cookies remain on Your personal computer or mobile device when You go offline, while Session Cookies are deleted as soon as You close Your web browser. You can learn more about cookies here: Cookies by TermsFeed Generator.

We use both Session and Persistent Cookies for the purposes set out below:

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    Administered by: Us

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  • Functionality Cookies

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    Purpose: These Cookies allow us to remember choices You make when You use the Website, such as remembering your login details or language preference. The purpose of these Cookies is to provide You with a more personal experience and to avoid You having to re-enter your preferences every time You use the Website.

  • Tracking and Performance Cookies

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    Administered by: Third-Parties

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For more information about the cookies we use and your choices regarding cookies, please visit our Cookies Policy or the Cookies section of our Privacy Policy.

Use of Your Personal Data

The Company may use Personal Data for the following purposes:

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  • For the performance of a contract: the development, compliance and undertaking of the purchase contract for the products, items or services You have purchased or of any other contract with Us through the Service.
  • To contact You: To contact You by email, telephone calls, SMS, or other equivalent forms of electronic communication, such as a mobile application’s push notifications regarding updates or informative communications related to the functionalities, products or contracted services, including the security updates, when necessary or reasonable for their implementation.
  • To provide You with news, special offers and general information about other goods, services and events which we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or enquired about unless You have opted not to receive such information.
  • To manage Your requests: To attend and manage Your requests to Us.
  • For business transfers: We may use Your information to evaluate or conduct a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of Our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which Personal Data held by Us about our Service users is among the assets transferred.
  • For other purposes: We may use Your information for other purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and to evaluate and improve our Service, products, services, marketing and your experience.

We may share Your personal information in the following situations:

  • With Service Providers: We may share Your personal information with Service Providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service, to contact You.
  • For business transfers: We may share or transfer Your personal information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of Company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of Our business to another company.
  • With Affiliates: We may share Your information with Our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honor this Privacy Policy. Affiliates include Our parent company and any other subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other companies that We control or that are under common control with Us.
  • With business partners: We may share Your information with Our business partners to offer You certain products, services or promotions.
  • With other users: when You share personal information or otherwise interact in the public areas with other users, such information may be viewed by all users and may be publicly distributed outside.
  • With Your consent: We may disclose Your personal information for any other purpose with Your consent.

Retention of Your Personal Data

The Company will retain Your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use Your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.

The Company will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of Our Service, or We are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

Transfer of Your Personal Data

Your information, including Personal Data, is processed at the Company’s operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. It means that this information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of Your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from Your jurisdiction.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by Your submission of such information represents Your agreement to that transfer.

The Company will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that Your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of Your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of Your data and other personal information.

Disclosure of Your Personal Data

Business Transactions

If the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, Your Personal Data may be transferred. We will provide notice before Your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.

Law enforcement

Under certain circumstances, the Company may be required to disclose Your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).

Other legal requirements

The Company may disclose Your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

  • Comply with a legal obligation
  • Protect and defend the rights or property of the Company
  • Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
  • Protect the personal safety of Users of the Service or the public
  • Protect against legal liability

Security of Your Personal Data

The security of Your Personal Data is important to Us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While We strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your Personal Data, We cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Detailed Information on the Processing of Your Personal Data

The Service Providers We use may have access to Your Personal Data. These third-party vendors collect, store, use, process and transfer information about Your activity on Our Service in accordance with their Privacy Policies.

Analytics

We may use third-party Service providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service.

  • Google Analytics

    Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Service. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.

    You can opt-out of having made your activity on the Service available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity.

    For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Email Marketing

We may use Your Personal Data to contact You with newsletters, marketing or promotional materials and other information that may be of interest to You. You may opt-out of receiving any, or all, of these communications from Us by following the unsubscribe link or instructions provided in any email We send or by contacting Us.

We may use Email Marketing Service Providers to manage and send emails to You.

  • Mailchimp

    Mailchimp is an email marketing sending service provided by The Rocket Science Group LLC.

    For more information on the privacy practices of Mailchimp, please visit their Privacy policy: https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/

Usage, Performance and Miscellaneous

We may use third-party Service Providers to provide better improvement of our Service.

  • Invisible reCAPTCHA

    We use an invisible captcha service named reCAPTCHA. reCAPTCHA is operated by Google.

    The reCAPTCHA service may collect information from You and from Your Device for security purposes.

    The information gathered by reCAPTCHA is held in accordance with the Privacy Policy of Google: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/

Children’s Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If You are a parent or guardian and You are aware that Your child has provided Us with Personal Data, please contact Us. If We become aware that We have collected Personal Data from anyone under the age of 13 without verification of parental consent, We take steps to remove that information from Our servers.

If We need to rely on consent as a legal basis for processing Your information and Your country requires consent from a parent, We may require Your parent’s consent before We collect and use that information.

Links to Other Websites

Our Service may contain links to other websites that are not operated by Us. If You click on a third party link, You will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise You to review the Privacy Policy of every site You visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update Our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify You of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let You know via email and/or a prominent notice on Our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, You can contact us:

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