The way of imagination

  Scripture text : Gospel of St. John 4.1-18      Last summer I spent a week hiking in the Alberta Rockies with a friend.   We each had a couple of water bottles, which we filled whenever we came across a stream.   It was always a relief to hear the sound of running water.   Whenever we found a stream, I would plunge my head under the water and then cup water in my hand and rub the back of my neck – so refreshing.   There was this one time when the distance between streams seemed farther than usual; I had drunk all my water and I was parched.   My throat was dry, the sun was beating down on us, and my lips began to crack as I stumbled forward, feeling the weight of my pack drag my shoulders down.   Fortunately, we came across some folks who were driving ATVs.   They had water to spare and kindly shared some with me.   Every time I got the chance to drink during that hike, I felt like my very life had been renewed, that...

  Scripture text : St. John’s Gospel 21.1-19      Yesterday’s passage and today’s frame Simon’s journey with Jesus like two bookends.   Today’s episode was one of the last times that Simon saw Jesus before Jesus’ ascension (cf. Ac. 1.1-11).   Of course, a lot happened between these two moments, and Simon would have liked to be able to forget several incidents.   Simon, you see, was a person who sincerely desired to do the right thing, but often failed miserably to do what he had intended to do.   Can you relate?   Often, we are full of good intentions, but we don’t follow through or worse, we end up betraying someone we care deeply about.   This is exactly what happened to Simon…      During the Last Supper (the night before Jesus’ death), Simon had promised Jesus that no matter what happened, he would stay by his side, even if it cost him his life.   Before long, those words would come to haunt Simon....

  Scripture text : St. Luke’s Gospel 5.1-11      You’ve most probably heard about Jesus – whenever you find yourself in church, or maybe on TV or websites.   Perhaps you think that Jesus is a good thing, either for people who have time for prayer and religious stuff (like retired folk) or for kids.   Adult life is busy – perhaps you’ve got a career, a family and many different responsibilities (and hobbies).   You’ve got a life!   Whether or not it’s going great, it may be hard to see what anything in your life has to do with Jesus.   Surely, you may think, Jesus is fine for people who have nothing else to do, for kids who need to learn how to behave and, of course, for priests who are full-time “Jesus-people”.        Today’s Scripture passage is about a man named Simon (a.k.a. “Peter”), a fisherman from a village in northern Palestine called Capernaum, located by the Lake of Galilee.   Jesus inserte...

  Scripture text : Acts of the Apostles 1.4-11      Who enjoys waiting?  I get restless when I must wait in line at the grocery check-out.  Often, we feel like it’s up to us to figure things out, and quickly!  But in today’s scripture, the risen Jesus tells his disciples to wait .  He also tells them that they will soon go out on a mission, but for now, they are to wait until they are equipped by the Father for the work they are called to.      Today, we celebrate the moment when Jesus was exalted “to the right hand of the Father” after entrusting his followers with a mission to make disciples of all nations; that is to say, today is the feast of the Ascension.  The risen and glorified Jesus can now only speak through our mouths, can only touch through our hands, and only go to the places we dare to go.  That’s what Jesus’ ministry was all about – through, and as, Jesus, the Creator spoke words of eternal li...

  INTRODUCTION: WHAT’S THIS ALL ABOUT?      As St. Luke (an early Christian and author of 2 New Testament books: Luke’s Gospel & Acts of the Apostles) tells the story, this was precisely the reaction of those who were on hand that day in Jerusalem when the first followers of Jesus “received the Holy Spirit”: “All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ( Acts of the Apostles 2.12) Jesus lives?   You may have experienced similar perplexity after having spoken to Christians.   You might have noticed that they have a way of talking about Jesus as if he was still alive .   They talk about Jesus in the present tense, as if they spoke to him on a regular basis, as if he was a part of their daily lives.   That might have struck you as a bit weird.   I mean, everyone who has been to the movies in the western world knows that Jesus’ life ended with him being nailed to a Roman cross.   Strangely e...