We Canadians are in the throes of an election. The current government was a minority, and historically, they are short lived. It is the price we pay for being indecisive and failing to turn out at the polls.
I heard in the news, today, that our Conservative candidate suggested that all major Canadian cities would have an increased military presence. My first reaction was to balk - which surprised me, as I think of myself as a small 'c' conservative. I had visions of Kent State ... free voice vs. 'the man'.
Then I got to thinking ... arguably a dangerous practice ... considering the gun violence plaguing our streets, and our own lack of ability to police ourselves. If we can control it ourselves, without some type of outside intervention, why does it continue? How badly do we want this situation to change and what type of radical alternatives are we willing to consider to make that happen?
Just a bit of fodder for the mind.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Sunday, December 25, 2005
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Okay Everyone ... this is going to be a quick post ....Merry CHRISTmas ... Please remember who we're celebrating.
Peace!
Friday, December 23, 2005
A history of Christmas ...
Many of my readers (... oh the presumptions!!!!) already know that the Christmas holiday grew out of the Christian celebration of Jesus' birthday. Whether this event actually occurred on December 25th is rather beside the point - the issue is that a date was chosen to commemorate the event.
I thought I'd take a little opportunity to enlighten my presumed readers on the history of Christmas being celebrated on the 25th of December. What you might not know is that Christmas Day celebrations (formally "The Celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord") grew out of the celebration of "the Epiphany of Our Lord". The celebration of which is on January 6th, and celebrates the arrival of the Wise Men from the East arriving to worship Jesus as the Christ. What many celebrate as Advent (the penitential season of four Sundays before Christmas) was added even after Christmas.
The celebration of Easter pre-dated Christmas by approximately four centuries! That's right, the early church saw Jesus' death and resurrection as more important/worthy of celebration than His incarnate birth.
So then, what we now celebrate as Christmas, the early church merely presumed. For if it weren't for Jesus birth there would be no celebration of His crucifixion (and more importantly His resurrection) at Easter.
All this is not to diminish the celebration of Jesus coming into the world - a truly magnificent event. However, I hope that by attaching a bit of history, we can see that the celebration of Jesus birth ought not to be an isolated event. Look forward to Easter - which is the purpose behind Christmas.
I wonder if the best Christmas gift could be to wish someone a Happy Easter?
I thought I'd take a little opportunity to enlighten my presumed readers on the history of Christmas being celebrated on the 25th of December. What you might not know is that Christmas Day celebrations (formally "The Celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord") grew out of the celebration of "the Epiphany of Our Lord". The celebration of which is on January 6th, and celebrates the arrival of the Wise Men from the East arriving to worship Jesus as the Christ. What many celebrate as Advent (the penitential season of four Sundays before Christmas) was added even after Christmas.
The celebration of Easter pre-dated Christmas by approximately four centuries! That's right, the early church saw Jesus' death and resurrection as more important/worthy of celebration than His incarnate birth.
So then, what we now celebrate as Christmas, the early church merely presumed. For if it weren't for Jesus birth there would be no celebration of His crucifixion (and more importantly His resurrection) at Easter.
All this is not to diminish the celebration of Jesus coming into the world - a truly magnificent event. However, I hope that by attaching a bit of history, we can see that the celebration of Jesus birth ought not to be an isolated event. Look forward to Easter - which is the purpose behind Christmas.
I wonder if the best Christmas gift could be to wish someone a Happy Easter?
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
How many sleeps to go?
Are we there yet? Is it soup yet, mom? How long til Christmas?
As we crawl towards Christmas, I remember how long the holiday used to take to "get here" when we were young. It seems as though we were taunted by toy departments from about mid October.
Starting four weeks before Christmas, with the season of Advent, we would run home from shool each day to open the next window in our Advent Calendar. Some years, each day would be rewarded with a choclate treat, but usually just a pretty little picture.
A couple of weeks before "The Big Day", dad would treat us to a hot chocolate, in Simpson's cafeteria (long gone now, kids) while mom finished shopping. This would involve having abandoned our station wagon at a suburban subway station, and fought the crowds, and subway to get downtown. As suburban kids, this trip was a rare gem.
On the fateful day, when Christmas had finally arrived, we would wake early, after having wrestled with our excitement all night. We would run into our parents bedroom and beg to open something! Of course, we would be told to wait until after breakfast, which always seemed to involve an interminably long cup of tea.
The point is ... all these little things were ways to mark time, to look forward to something bigger, like a flat stone skipping across a calm lake, toward a big splash. But you see, it all had a point. Mom & Pop would say it taught us patience, but I hardly recall being patient about any of it. I do know that it built up toward something.
As I spend the day with my two year old, keeping her in from the bluster, recovering from a cold, I feel that sense of expectation returning, after a long time. I wait for my wife to come home from a hard day, I wait for gatherings with friends and family. Sometimes it's nerve racking, but feels somehow right as well.
As adults, I wonder if this expectant waiting has been replaced with something else ... something manic, frantic, shopping in an attempt to fill ... to fill something, either in us or in others.
As we crawl towards Christmas, I remember how long the holiday used to take to "get here" when we were young. It seems as though we were taunted by toy departments from about mid October.
Starting four weeks before Christmas, with the season of Advent, we would run home from shool each day to open the next window in our Advent Calendar. Some years, each day would be rewarded with a choclate treat, but usually just a pretty little picture.
A couple of weeks before "The Big Day", dad would treat us to a hot chocolate, in Simpson's cafeteria (long gone now, kids) while mom finished shopping. This would involve having abandoned our station wagon at a suburban subway station, and fought the crowds, and subway to get downtown. As suburban kids, this trip was a rare gem.
On the fateful day, when Christmas had finally arrived, we would wake early, after having wrestled with our excitement all night. We would run into our parents bedroom and beg to open something! Of course, we would be told to wait until after breakfast, which always seemed to involve an interminably long cup of tea.
The point is ... all these little things were ways to mark time, to look forward to something bigger, like a flat stone skipping across a calm lake, toward a big splash. But you see, it all had a point. Mom & Pop would say it taught us patience, but I hardly recall being patient about any of it. I do know that it built up toward something.
As I spend the day with my two year old, keeping her in from the bluster, recovering from a cold, I feel that sense of expectation returning, after a long time. I wait for my wife to come home from a hard day, I wait for gatherings with friends and family. Sometimes it's nerve racking, but feels somehow right as well.
As adults, I wonder if this expectant waiting has been replaced with something else ... something manic, frantic, shopping in an attempt to fill ... to fill something, either in us or in others.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Trinity College, Lady Chapel
This well lit, cozy, side chapel is the place where many students (yours included) have had the opportunity to test their homiletic prowess.Smaller than the main chapel, most of the midweek Eucharist and Offices (prayer services) are conducted here.
Chapel Entrance
Side entrance to the Trinity Chapel:This is the entrance to Trinity College's main chapel, from Hoskin Ave. Frankly this portal is seldom used, but I thought it was picturesque. Hmmm.... there's a comment in there somewhere ... seldom used portals ... picturesque ... go and ponder my friends.
Greetings!
Greetings all! Well ... the madness has begun! For some time I've been contemplating a personal website, of some sort. But to what end? The answer may lie in my choice of monichers - The Digital Gnome - a small voice in a large, and sometimes wild place.
For one thing, I'm an amateur photographer, looking for a place to display some of my better "work", realising that email attachments can become both cumbersome and annoying.
For another, the blog provides a place for other forms of expression. Let's wander down the path, and see where it leads.
For one thing, I'm an amateur photographer, looking for a place to display some of my better "work", realising that email attachments can become both cumbersome and annoying.
For another, the blog provides a place for other forms of expression. Let's wander down the path, and see where it leads.
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