[Sundaycommunity] God?

[Paul McAuley]

Dear Rosemary
Nice to hear from you and know you are still connected in a way with the
Sunday community and certainly involved in St. Catherine’s with your United
church. The spiritans used to have a parish in st. Catherine’s but had to
give it up. I only got down there about once a year.
Have a blessed Christmas in whatever way that will take place at home and
in church
Peace
Paul

On Wed, 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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