[Sundaycommunity] God?

[Lee Piepgrass]

I will forward it in case there are people like me who seem to have spotty reception. Thanks for the great, thoughtful, and sensitive reflection!

> On Nov 25, 2020, at 5:19 PM, Dave Snelgrove <snelgrovedave at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> Dear Paul, Although I am geographically long-gone from the Sunday Community, I still feel a connection and a lot of affection for people with whom I worshipped there.  And sang.  And clanged my tambourine.  I've always enjoyed your homilies.  And there you are, still ministering to me,   I am a kind of lost sheep, having joined a United Church here in St. Catharines.  Been Chair of the Worship Committee, on the Personnel Committee, on the Church Council, editor of a new Constitution and Handbook of Church Governance, so in the tradition of the Protestants, have had my say quite often about what's going on.  But did get a taste of that with the Sunday Community, where there is great inclusion of anyone willing to volunteer and put some work into planning.
> 
> There's not a great point to this message apart from wanting you to know that your words have travelled here into Niagara.  And your openness touched my heart. The question of how we experience and relate to God,  Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is a continual one being posed here with the little circle of good friends I have made.  I'm a big Holy Spirit fan, having spent 20 years among the R.C. Charismatics.  My comments and interventions often lead to the confusion of cradle United Churchers.  The term 'reserved' and 'contained' describes the religious fervour of the community.  But they are kind and pretty serious and humourous folks and I believe do try to adhere to the teachings of Christ.  In effect, the Church is just about all of my community here, and I'm grateful for it.  I regularly miss the sense of the sacred that is part of Catholicism.  And the willingness to discuss - as you are doing - the living of faith.  
> 
> God knows.  This may not be my last stop.  Wishing you a blessed Advent.  Rosemary Gray-Snelgrove
> 
>> On Wed, Nov 25, 2020 at 3:33 PM Paul McAuley <bursar at spiritans.com> wrote:
>> November 25, 2020
>> 
>> Hi Sunday Community,
>> 
>> Hope everyone is doing well. 
>> 
>> I see from my emails from some in the Sunday community a little debate on relating to God. Well, I don’t want to throw fuel on the fire, but here is my little two cents contribution.
>> 
>> When I think of God, by default, I think in male terms even though I know intellectually God is neither male or female. 
>> I recognize that I am a privileged, educated, economically stable, white, male cleric - at the top of the food chain so to speak.
>> I don’t actually relate to “God” much - too vague, and the Trinity is a bit much to grasp, but we try.
>> 
>> If I think of the term “God”, by default, I think of the Father. Lucky for me, I had a lovely relationship with my own Dad, so the Father is not a big stretch. However, I have heard from many people over the years who have had either no father present in their lives or difficult or even abusive relationships, that both God and Father are real barriers to faith. We should be sensitive to this.
>> 
>> As a “Spiritan”, to tell you the truth, I don’t really relate to the Holy Spirit (he or she) - a bit too nebulous.
>> 
>> Years ago, I was on a retreat and told my spiritual director I could not relate to “God” or the “Holy Spirit” even though I believe but the terms don’t speak to me. I relate to Jesus - Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus the Christ. My spiritual director who was a lay woman was wonderful and told me not to feel guilty or worried. Each person has to relate to the Divine as she or he can. I never feel worried or guilty anymore.
>> 
>> Just as an aside, Pat Smiley brought up Mary. As a cradle Catholic, I really enjoy and get fulfilled from some of our Church’s so called Marian devotions. I have been fortunate to go on pilgrimages to various Marian shrines around the world and have felt such peace, and almost mystical connections with “God” through Mary. I think much of this has to do with the community of faith at these shrines. People of incredible faith, that puts my faith to shame,.... they inspire me. Also these are places of profound peace and to a certain extent, equality...we are all in the same boat. 
>> 
>> Mary is the confused teenager who found out she is pregnant, asked questions but had great faith. Mary is the powerful, outspoken young woman who prophetically prayed the Magnificat, a topsy turvey prayer in keeping with the Hebrew Scriptures of God overturning the mighty and lifting the lowly. Mary is the middle aged woman who experiences the death of a child, her son Jesus. There is much more I could say about Mary but suffice to say, I often relate to God through her.
>> 
>> Saints too! I find inspiration in our Catholic tradition of saints. To tell you the truth, often during daily Mass here at Shanahan House, when the priest is giving the homily, I am not really listening much, but reading the saint of the day at the back of the Living With Christ booklet, hahaha.
>> 
>> Anyway, nothing I wrote above is profoundly new or theological but just some of my reflections.
>> 
>> See you all on Zoom this Sunday at 11:00 AM for the 1st Sunday of Advent, our happy Church New Year.
>> 
>> Peace and Blessings,
>> 
>> Fr. Paul McAuley, CSSp
>> bursar at spiritans.com
>> or
>> ckedobw at gmail.com 
>> 
>> 
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