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We are a missionary Catholic
archdiocese covering a land mass of 430,000 square kilometers in
northern Saskatchewan, Manitoba and a small corner of North-West
Ontario. The Métis, First Nations of Cree, OjiCree, Dene and
non-Native people make up the richness this area. |
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Readers will be provoked, inspired and spiritually nourished by these moving tales drawn from the real-life experience of a Catholic missionary priest/bishop among Canada's aboriginal peoples and their neighbours. Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie's territory covers some of the most rugged and sparse geography in Canada. The diocese of Keewatin-The Pas spans 144,000 square kilometres in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as well as a corner of northwestern Ontario. First Nations and Métis, Cree and Dene, as well as non-aboriginal people - all blend together in a portion of God's beautiful creation in a lifestyle that is truly northern. This collection of Lavoie's memories will inspire both smiles and tears. Some reveal faith meeting life in heartwarming and humourous situations. Others deal with the trauma of substance abuse, family violence, poverty, and hardship. Here Lavoie shows how faith and the human spirit can overcome even the most tragic circumstances. Still others are gentle slices of life among God's "salt of the earth," as the author stickhandles the vagaries of Church and village life in the north. Read More>
The glory of God is young people fully alive. Properly understood and put into practice, this statement alone, adapted from St. Iraneus, would go a long way to ending the recent epidemic of suicide among our youth. Our task as adults is to help our young people live full human lives that will reflect the glory of God and lessen the incidents of suicide. A first step in addressing this issue is to define suicide. Noted spiritual writer and theologian Ron Rolheiser writes that suicide is a disease and generally the most misunderstood of all sicknesses. It takes a person out of life against his or her will, the emotional equivalent of cancer, a stroke or a heart attack. Suicide is never a good thing to be desired. It leaves behind an immeasurable pain on the part of the family, relatives and friends of those who do it or even attempt to do it. We don’t have the right to take our own lives. Life is a gift from God, meant to be lived as God wants it to be lived.
Suicide is a desperate response to
intense painful emotions such as hopelessness and despair that
threaten to overwhelm some wounded youth. They can see no other way
out of their painful situation. There are some people who
through life’s hurts have ended up locked in spiritual prisons
that all the love in the world cannot seem to break through. Read
More> |
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Then the family talked him into coming to LSA ... There, during the blessing of the water, he thought of how his grandmother always had time for him, became aware how he was not like her, and too busy for his boys. He decided to take more time for them. Then, he heard a homily on the two sides of love (discipline and affection) in which the presider asked the parents when they had last told their children that they loved them. He realized he had never done that, and resolved to do it right there and then, at LSA, in their tent that night during a family meeting. He apologized to his family for his mistakes and asked their forgiveness. His kids were blown away, hugged him and cried. He went away from LSA a changed man, a pilgrim of the heart. He spent the rest of the summer doing things together with his wife and kids and they developed into a close family over the years. Read More...
“The Joy of Doing God’s
Will” These readings remind me of my late brother
Louis who died of cancer in January of 2009
Do you hear what I hear: It
seems an elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number
of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have
him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to
hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back for a And then it happened: I experienced a taste of this inner transformative power of the Spirit through prayer one day as a young priest in Beauval. It was Friday of a busy week, and I had just learned that a busload of grade eleven students from the Convent in North Battleford was coming up for a sports event and they wanted the local parish to help organize their stay. I felt a bit overwhelmed with everything on my plate but decided to be faithful to my hour of prayer despite all that there was to do.... Read More... Delusions of Grandeur A wife heard her husband come back into the house not too long after he had left. She said, “Hon, I thought you were going to your lodge meeting.” “It was postponed,” He replied, “The wife of the Grand Exalted Invincible Supreme Potentate wouldn't let him attend tonight.” Live in the Kingdom of God through humble service. “Shining Like Stars” We know that no human effort or sacrifice can take away sin or pain. Jesus’ own sacrifice for all time took away sin, perfected us and brought about forgiveness. Our response must be to place our sin and sinfulness at his feet, to receive his forgiveness and healing, to become holy, single-minded in his service, free from sin and addiction, and to live in his glory.
Someone who had a very positive
influence on my life is Archbishop Emeritus Adam Exner, former bishop
of Kamloops, Winnipeg and finally Vancouver before he retired. As a
spiritual director in Battleford, he had a constant stream of people
coming to him for advice. As my spiritual director, he was the first
one to hear my story, discern my need to work on my relationship with
a member of my family, and suggested that I spend a month praying
only with Isaiah 43:1-7, words that I dearly needed to hear at that
stage of my life. At certain times later on in my ministry,
especially in moments of personal crisis, he would listen to me and
invariably come up with precisely the words that I needed to hear at
that time. Would that we could all be as positive an influence on
others as he was to so many. Read
More... The youth can lead the way. Many years ago, a volunteer at Stanford Hospital in the States got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5 year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. The volunteer saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes, I’ll do it if it will save Liz.” As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?” Being so young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood. Read More...
Giving of your life: The
saintly Mother Theresa of Calcutta is an example of one who lived a
selfless life to the full. She would even go to where abortions were
being performed in India to try to dissuade women from going through
with the procedure, offering to look after the unborn child herself,
no matter what the cost. That is genuine discipleship. In one of our communities recently, I met a young couple named Eric and Velma. Velma had been in an accident nine years earlier and was now a paraplegic in a wheel chair, able only to move her head and to talk. Eric had brought her to church, and then to the reception after confirmation. I marveled at how attentive he was to her, and how he was quietly feeding her like a child as he ate his own meal. In my conversation with them I was impressed by the....Read More... It was not an expense, it was an investment: Every night he would call his wife Donna long distance to talk about their day. One day I commented to him that this practice of calling long distance everyday must get to be expensive. He replied very simply that it was not an expense, it was an investment. I was impressed by the conviction in his voice as he said that, and marveled at the wisdom his response showed. Freedom to Serve: I think of a university student in Saskatoon who remained silent when a fellow student unfairly criticized the Church in a class and how angry he was at himself for his lack of courage to speak up for truth. On the other hand, I think of a friend who had the courage to tell his brother they were leaving a stag party when a stripper was brought in to entertain the gathering. That was a courageous and righteous act and I was proud my friend for his courage to speak up and act.
The boss has has delusions of adequacy “Religion From The Heart” I could identify with the frustration Jesus feels in today’s gospel, as he has a run-in with the religious authorities who could only see life through the lens of human tradition and man-made rules. We are invited today to live a religion from the heart that puts compassion before regulations.
Jesus in the gospels is challenging the Jews to move beyond their limited notion of God to faith in Him as the only one who can reveal to them the true nature of the Father. He calls them to faith in him as Son of God, as the one who has seen the Father, as the source of eternal life, the one who can share with them the Father’s very being. Read More... “Fully Human and Alive” An ancient philosopher once wrote, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Someone else once quipped, “The unlived life is not worth examining.” St. Iraneus took this further with famous quote: “The glory of God is man and woman fully alive.” Read More...
The readings today address both issues with the clear message: we must share our wealth to combat poverty, and learn to love our children again to combat rampant social problems among our youth. The multiplication of the loaves by Jesus in the gospel was a direct response to the physical hunger of the people before him. Of course, there was a much deeper spiritual level to this miracle, but he first fulfilled the physical hunger of the people. So must we if we are to call ourselves his followers. Called To Be Prophets. Richard Rohr, another modern day prophet, shares this insight into being prophetic: “There are two ways of being a prophet. One is to tell the enslaved that they can be free. It is the difficult path of Moses. The second is to tell those who think they are free that they are in fact enslaved. This is the even more difficult path of Jesus.”
I had
never prayed with my emotions like this before in my life.
The emotional storm raged within me for an hour. On the one side,
waves of fear, anxiety and depression would wash over me, pressing
down on my spirit and pounding away at me like the surf against the
shore. Then I would read and ponder the words of that passage again
and from the other side, waves of faith and hope and confidence would
wash over me, Let the Light Shine A group of tourists were visiting a huge cathedral. A little girl in the group stopped, in contemplative silence, to look at the beautiful huge stained glass windows. The afternoon sun was shining brightly, bathing the group in a splendid symphony of gorgeous colors. After some time, as the group was about to leave, the little girl asked the guide, “Who are those persons in those beautiful windows?” The guide told her that they were the saints. That evening, as the little girl prepared for bed, she told her mom that she knew who the saints were. “Well, who are they?” her mother wanted to know. “Saints are persons who let the light shine through them!” was her innocent reply. A child's wisdom: A young boy with a handicap was making his first communion. After the Eucharist, there was a family gathering. The uncle, who was also the child’s godparent, told the mother, “What a beautiful liturgy; how sad that he didn’t understand a thing.” The child heard these words and his eyes filled with tears. He said to his mother, “Don’t worry, Mom, Jesus loves me just as I am.” The child had a wisdom that this uncle didn’t yet attain, that the Eucharist is a gift from God par excellence. That child is a witness that the handicapped person, sometimes very seriously handicapped, finds life, strength and consolation in and through communion with Jesus in the Eucharist. And Jean asks, is there not a cry for communion with Jesus in the Eucharist in the desire of all people for a communion of hearts? The Eucharist is God’s effort to covenant with us, to live among us, to love us, to invite us into communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it is the least and the lowly who understand this best. More...
Shepherds of the Heart Jean Vanier, in his latest book Becoming Human, shares his personal transition in his notion of love. He used to think that love involved being good, being efficient, using one’s intelligence and time well and doing things for others. Then he chose to live with the mentally challenged and found he was challenged to live his life on a whole different level. The mentally challenged weren’t impressed at all by his competence; they did not care about his degrees. They just wanted his love, his affection, his attention, they wanted to know him. They taught him the importance of relating from the heart. And that has made all the difference in his life. He now goes around the world teaching that wisdom. I am convinced that the deepest need of our youth, indeed, of every human being, is to be loved, to belong and to be valued. If these needs are met by loving parents, supportive nuclear and extended families and welcoming churches, then our youth won’t need to resort to drugs to feel loved, to gangs to feel that they belong, or to indulge in pre-marital sex to feel valued. In The Holy Longing, Ron Rolheiser OMI wrote a moving dedication to Henri Nouwen that best captures Nouwen's 'imperfect' influence upon so many: "By sharing his own struggles, he mentored us all, helping us to pray while not knowing how to pray, to rest while feeling restless, to be at peace while tempted, to feel safe while still anxious, to be surrounded by a cloud of light while still in darkness, and to love while still in doubt. Nouwen embraced his crosses, carried them and allowed them to lead him to Jesus." His close friend Robert Jonas reminds us that "his ever-present accompanying shadow was there only because of the Light in which he walked." More... "Spring Cleaning of the Soul" After the long months of snow and cold, many people can't wait to clean up the residue of winter - to house clean with doors open; to rake the yard, clean out garages, start preparing the soil for the garden, and burn all that needs to be burned. One can almost smell the smells of spring. Spring is also a privileged time to do some spring cleaning of the soul. Lent call us to not just clean up around us, but also to do some cleansing, healing work within us, some soul work. Walk the talk: Nelson Mandela is an example of that kind of authority and integrity. He was imprisoned unjustly in South Africa for twenty fives years because of his struggle against apartheid. Yet upon his release, he more than any other person spoke of the need for forgiveness and power sharing with the very white people who imprisoned him. When he speaks of forgiveness and reconciliation, people listen to what he has to say because he has lived it firsthand. He has that kind of moral authority that commands attention. More...
"Our
deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; Vacation is Good! A pastor was getting ready to go on vacation. He had a few parting words for the congregation: “Every pastor should take a month of vacation every year. If the pastor is really good at his work, then that pastor needs a vacation. If the pastor is not really good at it, then the congregation needs a break!” More... "Christmas in the Light of Easter" Tonight, Christmas eve, we listen to St. Luke's wonderful account of Jesus' birth. Luke puts into his version of this time-honoured story very significant details that make it a catechesis leading us to a more mature faith. St. Luke meditates on the events of Christ's birth in the light of his whole life, death and resurrection and the sending of his Spirit at Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. St. Luke already perceives in this child whose birth he writes about, the Messiah, Son of God and Risen Lord. For him, we cannot really separate Christmas from Easter. In the end, he invites us to celebrate Christmas in the light of Easter. For St. Luke, the story of the Lord's birth is the entire Gospel in miniature. Parallels and connections between the beginning and the end of Jesus' life show that the seed of his mission as Saviour was already within him at the time of his birth. The faith of the early Church in Christ can teach us much about the Historical Jesus. Let us explore the story and learn from Luke, master story teller and evangelist. More... According to Flor McCarthy in his commentary on this gospel, one of our greatest needs is the need to express ourselves. Unless we express ourselves, we cannot realize or fulfill ourselves. To express ones self is the way to make ones self whole and therefore holy. Expression is the opposite of repression. To repress is to bottle up; to stifle; to smother, to suppress. Repression inevitably gives rise to depression. On the other hand, to express is to articulate, to reveal, to bring out. Expression may involve pain, but ultimately it leads to joy. John Powell, in his book Unconditional Love, tells the story of a young man who was dying of cancer. In the final stages of his illness, he came to see Powell and told him that in class months earlier he had mentioned something that made it easier for him to die young. Powell had said that there were two tragedies in life, and dying young isn't one of them. The two tragedies are to go through life and not love, and to go through life and not tell those whom you love, that you love them. The young man went on to say that when told of his illness, he realized how much he had been loved and was able to tell his family and others how much they meant to him and how much he loved them. Now when he is asked what it is like dying at age 24, he replies that it is not as bad as being 50 with no values and never having loved.
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Now
he was angry and confused - this wasn’t what he had prayed for.
Scott’s experience fits in here. He was a workaholic too busy
for his two sons. He always had excuses, and was hard on his sons. A
tough disciplinarian, he tried to raise them the way his army father
had raised him. One day he lost his job, became unemployed, and was
even tougher on the kids. His wife suggested they pray, and she found
a part time job. Now he was angry and confused - this wasn’t
what he had prayed for. 
after
a valiant four year battle. He was a quiet self-effacing man who
lived in the farming countryside near the now extinct hamlet of
Highgate Siding. His many virtues shine forth now, to those who knew
him as much as when he was alive. He was honest to a fault, sometimes
costing him financially. He had a keen sense of justice and fairness
in his business dealings. His gentleness made him a beatitude person.
He loved his wife and family passionately, and cared deeply for the
less fortunate. 
checkup
a month later and the doctor said, “Your hearing is
perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear
again.” To which the gentleman replied, “Oh, I haven’t
told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations
and I’ve changed my will three times already!” 
“Hungering
for Justice; Thirsting for Love” One night on television, a
news item featured the reality of children starving in Zimbabwe.
Pictures of children with extended stomachs troubled the viewers. A
few minutes later, another news item dwelt on the problem of obesity
among youth in North America. Not surprisingly, the program stated
the medical concern that obese children were more prone to heart attacks.
buoying
me up and floating me effortlessly along. Back and forth I was
tossed like a small craft in the sea. Little by little, however, the
rudder of faith and the waves of hope began to gain the upper hand.
“The
Commandments To Love” The Returning To Spirit program
that has been spreading across western Canada is an example of a
movement that is based on love. It teaches participants to deal with
their past hurts rather than build up big stories around those wounds
and carry anger through life. They learn ways to address their issues
and then communicate their hurt to others with love as a way of
letting go and moving on with their lives. 
Control:
When he handed me what he had written, I read the words, "At the
meeting today at the hospital, I felt like they would do what you
want no matter what I said." Ouch - it seems that without even
realizing it, I was giving to others the impression that I was in
charge here, even though we were trying to co-pastor. That was the
first time in my life that I became aware of my tendency to want
power and control, and how it was affecting a brother Oblate. 