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Breaking Out Of Our Self-Imposed Prisons: 3rd Sunday of Advent

December 17, 2023 /

Five years ago, my Facebook account got hacked. I got so frustrated that I deleted my account. Shortly after, I also deleted my Twitter and Instagram accounts. I got tired of scrolling through endless cultural and political debates.

Social media was not only upsetting my peace, but it kept me mentally disengaged from my wife and children. Not long before my Facebook account got hacked my wife and I were on a date. During our time together all I could think about was a theological debate I was having with a former classmate on Facebook. While physically being present to my wife, I was disengaged mentally.

Photo by Hasan Almasi from Unsplash

Destroying the Prison Walls

I felt as if I was in a prison and the only way out was to destroy the walls that kept me trapped. The walls were constructed of social media. In Isaiah 61:1 the prophet proclaims that he was sent to liberate captives and release prisoners. Isaiah is not referring to physical liberation, but liberation from a spiritual prison that the Israelites have become accustomed to due to their complacency in worshipping false idols and rejecting God’s Word. Do you feel trapped in a spiritual prison? What are the “walls” made of? What is holding you back from seeing God’s light beyond the walls? How can we begin tear down these walls? What’s the antidote to our spiritual complacency?

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The Wisdom of the World is Foolishness to God: Why critical theory causes so much harm.

March 15, 2023 /

Who comes to mind when you think of wisdom and greatness? What qualities do you associate with wisdom and greatness? 

When I was doing my undergrad I was enamored by my professors’ knowledge and ability to convincingly present ideas.  It so happened that many of my professors were fervently anti-Christian. They convinced me that all the world’s problems can be blamed on Christianity and that all problems can be solved if the world adopted their social theories. How convenient.  

By Moises Gonzalez from Unsplash.com

As I began to study religion I drew parallels between some of the most fundamentalist religious (and even cult-like) sects and academia. They claimed to be all-wise and intelligent, even explaining away the sins that their ideas had led to in the past. My naïve-self failed to see the messianic complex that consumed many of my instructors. Who needs God when you’ve written books and have a PhD following your name? 

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The End of Reason (Part 1). Why euthanasia is unreasonable, uncompassionate, unloving, and discriminatory.

February 21, 2023 /

People have the right to bodily autonomy; therefore, they should be able to do whatever they want with their own bodies.

If people are suffering, they should have the right to alleviate their own suffering by any reasonable means, including medically assisted suicide (euthanasia).

The Canadian government recently announced that they will be withholding offering MaiD (medical assistance in dying) to mature minors – people under the age of 18 (children) who have the mental capacity to reasonably make an informed decision about their life.

The flood gates have long opened in Canada to offering people a way out of their suffering (or perceived suffering).

 

Is supporting euthanasia a reasonable position to hold?

Is supporting euthanasia a reasonable position to hold? To answer this question we have to set aside our emotions and answer some questions.

First, is body autonomy absolute? Or does it have limits?

Second, is suicide a good solution to suffering?

Third, what is human dignity? What is the source of human dignity? Why treat human with dignity?

Fourth, what is compassion?

Photo by Milada Vigerova from Unsplash.com

Bodily Autonomy

I agree that people should be able to do with their bodies whatever they want. Even if I as a Christian believe that our bodies are not our own and are temples for God’s Spirit, not everyone may believe this.  For example, if people want to get tattoos, piercings, or try a fringe hairstyle, they can; even it is offense to some.

However, bodily autonomy is not absolute. Suppose people who have body identity integrity disorder and they have an deep seeded desire to become blind, paralyzed, or an amputee, should doctors be legally required to fulfil their patients’ desires? Most medical professionals would not destroy healthy body parts on a healthy human being. Medical practitioners’ job is to be life-giving and life-affirming, not life-denying or life-destructive. There is a sense of how we as humans aught to be, which takes precedent over how we want to be.

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“The wisdom of the world is foolishness” Why St. Paul’s words ring more true today than ever before.

February 18, 2023 /

Clair was 76 years old when she died peacefully from cancer in her husband’s arms surrounded by her family. There was one important person missing. One of her sons. 

Throughout her life Clair had one daughter and three sons. One of her sons, Thomas, started drifting away from the family shortly after being married. Thomas’ appeared to have changed overnight for the worse. He and his new family did not attend family gatherings and soon he started to blame his personal problems on his mother, father, and siblings. Clair soon learned that the woman he married was very manipulative, dealt with several mental challenges, and had a shady past. For Thomas it was too late. 

I’ve known Clair since 2009 up until her death in 2015. My heart broke that Thomas didn’t even attend or acknowledge his own mother’s funeral. It’s hard to fathom a mother’s broken heart in the last moments of her life knowing that her family is broken and unable to reconcile. 

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How money can become a false idol.

February 7, 2023 /

A reading from the letter to the Hebrews: 

Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for God has said. “I will never leave you or forsake you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me.?” – Hebrews 13:5

Reflection

When I was a kid I had an unhealthy relationship with video games. After my parents caved and gave me my first video game system – a Nintendo 64 – I became hooked. After getting my first job, having no sense of financial responsibility despite my parents’ best efforts, I blew most of my money on games and the latest systems. Never feeling content, I spent more and more and more. 

By Michelle Dot Com from Unsplash.com

Today, while I may have the odd race in Mario Kart with my daughters, I don’t care much for video games. It’s hard for me to fathom the amount of money I poured into games and what else I could have used that money for. However, feelings of discontent don’t disappear as you get older. Temptation to spend money on a new car, a bigger home, or other luxuries are ever present. I once met a family who lived in a nice home in Vaughn, drove a Land Rover, and recently purchased a cottage up north. At first, I thought they were being sarcastic, but they were seriously complaining about how little they have. 

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A Message To Students Writing Exams

January 27, 2023 /

A reading from the Second Letter to Timothy: 

For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you…; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power of love and of self-discipline. 

The course that gave me the most trouble in high school was grade 11 chemistry. The content just intimidated me. Moreover, I had classmates who always got 90s. I started to compare myself to them and started to believe that I was stupid. So I simply stopped trying. However, that changed with one interaction with my teacher. 

By Tim Gouw from Unsplash.com

We were taking up homework and my teacher asked me to answer a question. “Sorry, I didn’t do it.” I replied. Instead of me telling me something along the lines of “as long as you tried your best” she looked at me with disappointment on her face and said, “No, I’m sorry.” 

Her response triggered something in me. I got sick of feeling sorry for myself and believing I was stupid. I’m going to prepare for the next test until I get it. 

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Finding Jesus In Everyday Mundane Tasks

January 25, 2023 /

When I was in grade 12 I worked at Giant Tiger stocking shelves. One of the employees at the Giant Tiger was a thin elderly man who wore large glasses and had trouble walking called Dennis. Dennis was a character. He normally shared hilarious stories from his life. I sometimes wondered why he doesn’t seem more sad since he’s not enjoying his final years in retirement. One day he pulled me to the side and started to share with me the impact that Jesus had on his life. At the time, I brushed him off as crazy, but today I’ve come to see what he meant. 

In the gospel Simon and his brother Andrew are fishing near the shore on the Sea of Galilee. At another point in the gospels we realize just how terrible their jobs were. Imagine your livelihood depended on you fishing under the middle eastern sun day in and day out, barely catching enough fish to provide a roof and food for your family, along with paying crippling taxes to an oppressive government? I’m sure Simon and Andrew questioned their purpose several times. 

When Jesus comes along, he says to the brothers, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of people.” Jesus of course is using their day time job as an analogy for being his disciples. But there’s more to it. Just because Simon and Andrew became disciples of Jesus, their worldly challenges didn’t disappear. In fact they multiplied. They still had to fish to put a roof over their families’ heads, pay taxes, maintain their boats, and eat. Moreover, now they also had to pay for Jesus’ ministry. Life got harder, yet they found a greater purpose to work for. They went from darkness to light. From nihilism to purpose. 

Today, I’ve come to understand why Dennis seemed so content and purpose driven despite his physical frailty and economic condition. His job at Giant Tiger wasn’t just a job to pay the bills, but it was a way to serve God. 

I think this is a great mindset. God is bigger than our Sundays. We are called to serve him and offer our everyday tasks to him, even mundane ones, …. even ones like studying. 

Let us pray, 

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Lord God, you are my light and stronghold. You have the power to release me from my fears. Help me to seek you and see your beauty in every aspect of my life. In my darkness and brokenness I pray that you help me see your goodness. Strengthen me in the face of all challenges, inspire me with courage, and grant peace in my day.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

How God prepares you to live in His will.

January 20, 2023 /

After my wife’s nana passed away she left behind her house which was in rough shape. Nana was a hoarder. Every room was filled with stuff from the floor to the ceiling. Expensive antiques, mixed in with unopened items, mixed with trash. The walls had mold in them, the foundation was cracked in multiple places, and pipes were rusting in the basement. 

By Danny Muller from Unsplash.com

Without major renovations it took nearly 6 months to clean the house and make it safe to live in. The house was completely gutted for the new owners. The new owner transformed the inside of the home into a fresh, beautiful, livable place. From the outside it looks like the same house, but the inside is hardly recognizable. 

In the Bible, the author of Psalm 40 writes, “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will…I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

My hope is that we all want to do what God has set us apart for. Since God is perfect love, his will for our lives is infinitely more fulfilling than our own will without God. 

However, if we truly want to live in God’s will, our souls, bodies, and minds have to be prepared to take on God’s will. In the same way nana’s house had to be gutted (or broken down) so that it can be prepared to house a new family (it’s new purpose), we too need to be broken down and purified in order to take on God’s will for our lives. And here’s the thing… God is not going to impose his will on you, you have to invite him into your life. 

Let us pray,

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Father God, Thank you for loving me. You do not desire to bring me hardship, but rather, you want to show us how you are still present in the midst of difficult times. Give me an open mind to live in your will for me. Your imprint is already on my heart. Bless me with peace to meditate on your presence within me. Inspire me with great news for my life. Bring peace and fulfillment to all who seek you. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Your identity is not determined by the past mistakes of your family.

January 18, 2023 /

Has anyone ever compared you to someone who you’re not too fond of, telling you, “you’re just like…so and so”? You come away annoyed, because in reality, you know that you are nothing like the person you are being compared to.  “One thing is the same, therefore, everything is the same” is bad logic. 

While our families or other associations undoubtedly impact our lives, they don’t have to define our present or future. 

Photo by Chuttersnap from Unsplash.com

In the Old Testament, Abraham meets a non-Jewish priest named Melchizedek. Melchizedek didn’t obtain his priesthood because of his family lineage or legal requirements (which was the case in Middle Eastern religions, including Judaism). Scripture says that Malchizedek earned his vocation through “an indestructible life.” In other words, living a life faithful to God. 

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Most people are running on spiritual fumes. And it’s causing avoidable trouble.

January 17, 2023 /

When I was 12 years old my family went on a trip across Germany and Austria. Traveling with my family was never a great experience. My dad only wanted to visit “educational” places, we always got lost (this was during a time before GPS and cell phones were widely used), and my parents spent most of the time in the car arguing. 

One day we were driving on a highway near the Austrian Alps when my dad noticed that the gas tank was almost empty. My dad being the smart engineer that he is, forgot to put gasoline in the car before we left for the day. To make things worse a heavy fog was rolling in and visibility was close to zero and there were no signs of a gas station nearby. Regrettably, my sister and I laughed, while my mom and dad’s anxiety went into overdrive. 

Photo by Christopher Lemercier from Unsplash.com

I remember my dad losing it and accepting the reality that we might be stranded on a remote highway in the Austrian Alps with no means of communication. Nothing short of a miracle, just as the car was stuttering, a gas station came into view at the side of the highway. 

Similarly, if we are not proactive in our spiritual life we can feel like we are running on fumes. We can easily be overcome by anxiety, fear, and unnecessary exhaustion. How do we keep our spiritual tanks at a good level? 

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