Sisters of the Presentation of Mary

I love this time of the year! Early Spring! Dying Winter! It is such a time of hope and "youngness". In reality, it is not a very pretty time ... dead trees, dead grass, bare trees, black leaves on the muddy lawns, black snow piles in the shopping mall parking lots ... we can't deny them, and yet, what do we really see? I can't speak for you, but I can tell you that I see the pussy willows by the running swollen streams; I see the tulips pushing up tender green shoots and crocuses peeping their lovely fuzzy mauve faces through the snow banks by the railroad tracks; I see tiny patches of green on the lawns; I see the robins hopping on the grass on the lookout for a juicy worm ... I see so much hope and so much life all around me. I cannot help but think that, at Easter Christ resurrects in the whole cosmos and brings to it all the guarantee of new life. So with the lambs, and the baby rabbits, and the butterflies, and all the symbols used to illustrate and express this explosion of life, what can we do but hope and rejoice: Christ has conquered over death, there is life in all things that often seem dead to us ... Christ is Life! Alleluia!

Some time ago, I was invited to the celebrations of Duck Lake's 100th anniversary as a town. At the same time, it was the 100th anniversary of the ACFC, the French Canadian Association of Saskatchewan. It was a wonderful experience! And it made me recognize a characteristic which most of the people of Saskatchewan possess, without being aware of how precious it is.

Saskatchewan is a land of immigrants ... here, we can find every race, almost every nationality and every culture under the sun. Yet, by and large, we get along well, we are known for our hospitality and openness. Just think of Telemiracle! Whether we are French, English, Ukrainian, German, Phillipino, Japanese, Sudanese, Chinese, Metis or First Nation, by and large, we are one when it comes to helping each other. I know for a fact that people in more populated provinces envy us on that point; they can't get over how friendly we all are! I think it is a trait we inherited from our forebears who came and settled in small settlements far from each other, and perhaps lonely for the homeland. It was natural to come to each other's help, since everyone depended on the others to survive!

There is still pride in our own culture, our own language, our own expression of faith, but there is also a respect in the culture, the language and the religion of others, because deep down, we are all the same! It is like a huge mosaic, where every little piece is part of a beautiful masterpiece. I saw that in Duck Lake a few weeks ago. And I was so proud to be part of those immigrants who came here to find a better life, and who built a province and a land where the people are known for their friendship and their spirit of cooperation.

I am a procrastinator. As such, I often think of TIME and ponder on its meaning ... all this while TIME is slipping by and the things I have to do don't get done! Do you know what I mean? However, I have come to realize that TIME is a purely human invention or concept, albeit a necessary one. In any society, there has to be a common understanding of the concept of TIME and an acceptance of the meaning that the particular society gives it. That does not mean that all societies (or individuals!) have to accept that particular definition of TIME. And that is what makes it so hard for a procrastinator to operate in a TIME-obsessed society!

I was pondering that these last few days, as I was trying hard to find a topic for this blog! Have you noticed that there is no TIME in Nature? We speak of an early Spring or a late Fall, but is there a clock somewhere in the bowels of the earth that decides that Spring has to be on March 22nd or Fall on September 21st? No, both come when Nature is ready for it, whether it is a month "later" or a week "sooner". Even the sun and the moon do not set or rise at a set time every day ... we are the ones who have set the hour and the minute of their rising and setting, but it's never the same!

I think that we, in the Western world have somehow become obsessed with TIME. Some people actually judge the quality of a person by their promptitude – or lack of! They will quite likely have a hard time getting used to Heaven, where there is no TIME. How blissful that will be for us poor procrastinators! What do you think? Will the world stop turning (and marking TIME!) if one is not on TIME for an appointment or a meeting? Well, there it is .... and now it's TIME for me to send this Blog ... but I would really love to hear what you think .... if you have TIME!

For some reason or other, I always find that Christmas Eve is more "Christmas" than Christmas day itself! Usually, by December 24th, the 'big' preparations for the feast are done... the house is decorated, the meal is planned and ready to pop in the oven, the presents are all placed under the tree, the cards have been sent, the guests invited and coming ... there is that wonderful feeling of waiting for something great! And that is as it should be. The 'something' is really a SOMEONE we are all yearning to welcome... the "reason for the Season" as the saying goes. Do you feel that way? Do you really yearn for the coming of Christ in the your heart, in your life, in the world?

May Christ be present in your heart; may He be the PRESENT we most desire; may He be for everyone the PRINCE OF PEACE! Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Yes! It's upon us! The Christmas "stuff" is out everywhere. Why, it has even snowed, to make it more "here and now". Somehow, it makes me a little perplexed to see all this. The problem is that I can't help but get excited with the lovely decorations, the lights, the candles, the carols, the gifts, the 'goodies' ... so much so that by the time Advent comes, the true waiting period, I'm already blasé about all this hoopla, and I am tempted to be overwhelmed by all that is left to do before Christmas day.

Yet, Advent is such a special time! It's a yearning time, a preparation time, a time when we can truly experience the precious gift of HOPE. What we hope for has already come, but is always coming more profoundly. It is a time of expectancy ... like a woman expecting a child ... the baby is there, alive in her, but not yet fully revealed. That is what Advent is like; just as the people of Israel yearned and waited for the Messiah, just as Mary waited for the birth of her child, so we also wait for Someone who has already been revealed, who is already living among us, but wishes to be revealed more fully yet. So Advent is a time in which we strive to become more open to receive Him and more perceptive to recognize Him. Advent is a time when we contemplate Mary and share her hope and her faith. It is a joyous time, a youthful time!

So, the decorations, the lights, the candles, the carols, the gifts, the 'goodies' are all part of that joyous time, but only a part, not the "full deal". I think it's a way to express our hope, our joy and our excitement. It's true that Christmas, for most of us, would not be Christmas without a tree, and lights, and presents under the tree; but would Christmas be Christmas without the ever renewed birth of Emmanuel – "God with us"?

Several years ago, at a time in my life when I felt really down, I had the opportunity to make a 21 day retreat at one of our Retreat Houses in Quebec, at the foot of one of the hills or “mountains” south of Montreal. 

I cannot remember a time when I was not fascinated by all types of needlework.