​aphorism / ˈæfərɪzəm / n. 1. a pithy observation designed to convey life’s universal truths [E.g., To err is human, to forgive divine. Pride goes before a fall. If the shoe fits, wear it.]
 
If aphorisms are designed to convey truths, how is it that they sometimes contradict each other? For example, if ignorance is bliss, how can we say that knowledge is power (and, presumably, desirable)?
 
Well, it depends on context, doesn’t it? For a child who is afraid of dogs, ignorance of the fact that a dog is visiting next door is bliss; but for a woman who has a long drive ahead, knowledge that a storm is on the way is power. These aphorisms deliver contradictory messages—yet, in context, each is true.
 
There is another context in which knowledge is power, and that is faith. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus is enquiring about knowledge. He asks his disciples what others think: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” and it’s clear from the variety and accuracy of the answers that the people do not know who Jesus is. They think He is a prophet, just as John the Baptist and Eli’jah were prophets. But when Jesus asks his friends, “Who do you say that I am?” they know. Peter declares with certainty: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
 
Jesus is overjoyed, it seems to me. He says: You are blessed to know this, Peter, for only God could have revealed it to you! Your faith is a rock, and on it I will build my Church, and even death will not defeat this Church.
 
God gives Peter this gift of knowledge, which demonstrates two things: that Peter has sought God and spent time getting to know Him (both as the Father and the Son); and that the better Peter knows God, the more able Peter will be to call on God’s strength and power and the more fit he is to lead the church.
 
All of this makes me wonder about the time I have spent getting to know the Lord. Have I been making this a priority and setting aside sufficient time for it? Do I take the time to obey when God prompts me to a Scripture passage or to listen when He shares a tender word? Do I believe He has given me the power to know His voice and follow His directions?
 
My strength does not lie in my “self.” Instead, as with Peter, my strength lies in God, whom I must take the time to know.
 
Ignorance might be bliss in some contexts, but knowledge of God is the most powerful knowledge there is. 




Donna Davis

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​Like a dance on the skin of the water
The sun sparkles and shines.
It catches my eye and moves me
Into the wonder of His presence.



Just as a daylily spreads wide its petals to receive the sun,
So my heart opens and reaches for Him,
Longing for His wisdom to draw me ever nearer,
To paint me ever brighter,
To shape me in the manner He chooses.



My mind drifts to the sound of nearing footsteps;
A current of air returns me to the frequency of His breath.
He wipes the sweat from my brow with a tender, cool breeze.
He stills my heart with nature’s song.



There is no silence—life moves all around me.
And now

Moves within me
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As He quietly whispers:





Your pace has quickened, slow down and see. 

Let Me move you. 


Receive.





Yes, Father.
For from You we receive the sun and the stars;
The galaxy and the emerging bloom.
You are the grandeur and the quietude.
From You, through You, and to You
Is glory.



“Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something.”   -Winnie the Pooh




Lori MacDonald

This is a psalm of thanksgiving.

The events of 2020 have caused me to pause. I have had a good long chance to see things. When I say “see things,” I mean stop and have a look at the things that are right in front of me every day. 

Here’s what I see:

I have a roof over my head so when Premier McNeil said, “Stay the blazes home,” I could do it.

I have a husband and eight children who kept me “entertained” for the weeks of lockdown.

I have enough money to buy toilet paper, flour, wine — you know, all the essentials for a global pandemic.

I have friends who “Zoomed” with me many times to help keep me sane. 


In this crazy, uncertain time we are living in, I realize that I have a lot to be thankful for. Sure I hung my head a few times and cried out to God, “When will this end?” But even being able to do that is a blessing. Actually, my faith in Jesus is the thing that I am most thankful for. 


“When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.” (Psalm 138:3)

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life.” (Psalm 138:6)

“The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever.” (Psalm 138:8)


God has not abandoned me nor has He abandoned you. In fact, more than ever He is right beside us as we walk through the midst of trouble.

I have a little sign above my kitchen door. It says, “If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.” I am also thankful for this reminder.

What are you thankful for?

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Let us Pray:
God of all creation, Help us to see all of the good that You have given to us and help us to live in the hope that You will continue to bless us through these uncertain times. Let our “new normal” be a life lived in praise of You with a whole heart every day. Amen. 




​Maxine Brown
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In this first reading, God entrusts Eliakim with authority in a way that parallels Christ’s action in Matthew 16 when He gives Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Throughout scripture, God places His children in positions of leadership with power — all the while knowing their strengths and imperfections with their potential to do great good and terrible harm.

Authority is frightening for those who hold it, and for those under it. No human on earth is perfectly married to the good, true, and beautiful — yet the role of those in any position of authority is always to “work and care for the good of all” (CCC 1897). The Church teaches that authority, “does not derive its moral legitimacy from itself,” and it must act “for the common good as a ‘moral force based on freedom and a sense of responsibility’” (CCC 1902). Accordingly, legitimacy of authority exists when the common good is sought and when its means to arrive at the good are morally acceptable (CCC 1903).

Unfortunately, there are countless examples to draw from where people have failed to truly act in ways that are good and moral. Merely looking at the last century of human history is immeasurably heartbreaking. People have been used, abused, mistreated, and killed as means to a variety of ends — in scenarios where persons with power forgot human dignity and their own role as their brothers’ and sisters’ keeper. We can see this on macro levels, between nations, and on micro levels, even between parents and children. Hurt can also originate from the distrust and disobedience of good authority, or the silence and inaction of good people with influence under unjust authorities.

The common good requires “respect for the person… the social well-being and development” of communities, and “peace” (CCC 1906-1909). It seems so simple, yet these require the fullness of love — the act of which is an art that takes a lifetime to learn — the source of which comes from communion with Love. Christ affirms that all authority comes from God (Matthew 28:18; John 19:11) and the Church encourages us to practice obedience to authorities when morally permissible (CCC 1900) and take personal responsibility to do good in our spheres of influence (CCC 1914).

There is much to reflect on with regard to authority — whether our hearts need healing to learn to trust and rightly identify authorities who are working for the common good, or we need courage and wisdom to discern when to speak out when we encounter either the neglect of persons in authority’s care or the abuse of power. We might be inclined to defiance, simply because we desire our liberty or personal preferences.

I invite you to join me in reflecting deeply on this theme — asking the Holy Spirit to gift us with the grace to accept where we are, our responsibilities, and however He is calling us to act in true freedom, responsibility, and love towards our neighbour and in the world.




Kendra L.
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