Thursday, April 26, 2012

April 26, 2012


When I moved to Yellowknife twenty-two years ago, of course I wanted to understand the community. I was living as a guest on First Nations land. How would I get to know the culture? Language has always been a way for me to learn about people, so I signed up for language lessons. I took Dogrib. I learned a great deal – and here’s a word I heard a lot: ketetso. It was an election year, and ketetso is the word for election in that Dene language.

As an Albertan, I have learned a great deal about my neighbours this spring, too. An election is a peculiar experience of trust. What do the lawn signs mean about the people who live in those particular houses? How do property rights, care of the vulnerable, and change invigorate us to act together?

So here we are, post-election day, savouring the votes delivered and decisions made. What do we do about platforms stated, promises made and disappointments endured? How, as the trendy say, do we move forward?

The gospel keeps us moving, I think. Jesus made his way to Jerusalem and his disciples made their way to Ephesus and Rome and India. They crossed each river, walked each road, and stopped in each
welcoming home bringing peace and a word of respect for every
person. They did this confident of the love they knew in Jesus.

May you and I have the grace to greet our neighbours with peace,
act with respect for the vulnerable, and move forward in love. It’s been quite a ketetso


Blessings,



The Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean

Thursday, April 19, 2012

April 17, 2012

A single word can make such a difference. Sorry of course, and thanks. A single word can change how we feel about someone and can turn a bad day into a good one.

Last week a person graciously pointed out to me that I had the Wordsworth poem wrong. All these weeks I have been writing to you with a mistake! I left out the word we.

It turns the poem from a mystical piece about God into a mystical piece about us with God. I choose to think this deepens our reflections.

Here it was:
Trailing clouds of glory do come from God,
who is our home.
Those shadowy recollections,
be they what they may,
are yet the fountain light of all our day.

And here we are:
Trailing clouds of glory do we come
from God, who is our home ...
Those shadowy recollections,
be they what they may,
are yet the fountain light of all our day.


May you trail clouds of glory.
May you remember that you come from God.
May you light this day with the assurance that God is your home.


Blessings,



The Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

April 10, 2012

A Spiritual Practice for Lent and Holy Week

Trailing clouds of glory do we come
from God, who is our home...
Those shadowy recollections,
be they what they may,
are yet the fountain light of all our day.
W. Wordsworth, 1807

As we have moved through this season we have prayed all through the day. Now, at Easter, you may put them together and frame the whole day in words of prayer. This week:upon waking in the night.

Deliver me from this day.
Free me into the night.

May the dark envelop me
in peace.
May the quiet grace me
with contemplation.
May the stillness give me
wisdom.

Take the fretting away.
Restore me to
the breath of life
that is the beginning of all creation.

Teach me to breathe
and to love the world.
For you first loved the world
and I am your wakened child.    Amen.


The Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean

Thursday, April 5, 2012

April 2, 2012

A Spiritual Practice for Lent and Holy Week

Trailing clouds of glory do come from God,
who is our home.
Those shadowy recollections,
be they what they may,
are yet the fountain light of all our day.
W. Wordsworth, 1807

All our day God comes to us in prayer, all through the day. As we move through this season we are praying all through the day. Each week you find a prayer for a different part of the day published here. At Easter you may put them together and frame the whole day in words of prayer. The first five prayers were on first waking, then just before launching the day’s activities, next noon, followed by grace before supper, and sunset.

For this week: preparing to sleep.

Deliver this day
into quiet sleep.
May today’s problems slip into shadow,
and today’s pleasures inspire my dreams.

May this beloved earth rest too:
persons and crowds,
fields and oceans,
all your Created Wonder.

Open my soul
to love
to wonder
to peace.


The Rev. Dr. Catherine MacLean

March 26, 2012

A Spiritual Practice for Lent

Trailing clouds of glory do come from God,
who is our home.
Those shadowy recollections,
be they what they may,
are yet the fountain light of all our day.
W. Wordsworth, 1807

All our day God comes to us in prayer, all through the day. As we move through Lent let’s focus on prayer all through the day. Each week you will find a prayer for a different part of the day published here. At Easter you may put them together and frame the whole day in words of prayer. The first four prayers were on first waking, then just before launching the day’s activities next noon and grace before supper.

For this week: sunset.

Trailing clouds of glory surround
the sun,
and dusk creeps up tree trunks.
May this moment fill
my heart with your love
my soul with holy wonder
and this prayer
with care
for the earth.

The Rev. Dr. Catherine MacLean