[Sundaycommunity] Thanks

[Dean Riley]

Thank you Fr. Paul! Your beautiful reflection on the stars being hidden by the fog reminded me of a story I heard a long time ago about an oblate priest working in northern Canada. I am including it below… I have used this story many times with visiting groups of Canadian high school students. A very blessed and happy Christmas to you and to the entire Spiritan Community… and to all who find a spiritual home in the Sunday Community as well!

Dean. 

René Fumoleau served first as an Oblata priest (and eventually incardinated into the Diocese of Mackenzie) in Northern Canada where he lived for more than sixty years. Fumoleau was also a poet and published a collection of his works reflecting on all he had learned during his time among the Dene people.

Truck lights.

Winter time and very cold,
early afternoon but already dark.

I’m driving from Yellowknife to Fort Rae in my 15 year old pick-up truck,

and a Dene elder asked me for a ride.

The land has taught the Dene

to live in a world of silence.

After ten kilometres, Kolchia reflects:

“Driving the truck is like having faith in God.”

I’m trying to figure out what he means, but, after two kilometres I give up:

“Grandpa, you talked about driving and faith in God.

I’m not sure what you meant.”

Kolchia turned slightly towards me:

“You started the engine and you put the lights on. We could have said:

‘We see only one hundred metres ahead.

Further on, it’s one hundred kilometres of darkness, so we cannot go to Fort Rae.’

But you got the truck in gear,

we started to move,

and the lights kept showing ahead of us.

Must be the way with God too

who shows us only a bit of the future,

just enough for our next move.

If we are afraid and if we stand still,

we’ll never see further ahead.

But if we go with the little light we have,

the light keeps showing us the way on and on.”

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” …

On Dec 24, 2023, at 11:49 PM, Paul M via Sundaycommunity <sundaycommunity at lists.integralshift.ca> wrote:

I just went outside briefly and can’t see any  stars at all because the fog moved into my backyard. It is so still And beautiful. I thought it was a little metaphor for life, we want so much to see stars, but the fog is hiding them, and yet we know they’re there. Even in the fog of life, we can trust God is there.
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