Advent teaches us that waiting is not wasted time but holy time. As the candles are lit one by one, they remind us that hope grows patiently, even when we would rather rush ahead. With warmth and gentle humour, this reflection explores the spiritual discipline of waiting, discovering that God often does God’s deepest work in us while we are learning to trust the light that is still on its way.
Tag Archives: Hope
Prayer When You’re Too Tired to Pray
There are days when even the simplest prayer feels beyond our strength. Yet God’s love is never dependent upon our eloquence or energy. This reflection explores the grace of praying through weariness, discovering that when our own words fail, the Spirit continues to hold us, intercede for us, and surround us with a love that never grows tired.
The Theology of Small Steps: Camino Lessons for Daily Life (Because not every pilgrimage requires a blister the size of Manitoba)
The Camino teaches that every great journey is completed one step at a time. Thankfully, most of our daily pilgrimages require less distance—and fewer blisters. With warmth, gentle humour, and wisdom gathered along the trail, this reflection explores how God shapes our lives through small, faithful steps, reminding us that lasting transformation is rarely dramatic but almost always wonderfully ordinary.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Bearing Witness, Walking Together
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation calls us to more than remembrance—it invites us into the ongoing work of listening, learning, lamenting, and walking together toward healing. With humility and hope, this reflection explores the Christian call to bear witness to the truth of the past while committing ourselves to relationships marked by justice, compassion, and reconciliation. It reminds us that genuine healing begins when we have the courage to listen deeply and faithfully accompany one another on the long journey toward a more just future.
Orange Shirt Sunday: Every Child Matters
Orange Shirt Sunday invites the Church to remember the children who suffered in the residential school system, to honour Survivors and their families, and to recommit ourselves to the ongoing work of truth, justice, healing, and reconciliation. Rooted in the Gospel’s call to love our neighbours and seek the dignity of every human being, this reflection encourages us to listen deeply, learn humbly, and walk alongside Indigenous Peoples with compassion, honesty, and hope. It reminds us that every child matters, and that faithful discipleship calls us to bear witness through both remembrance and action.
Walking the Camino Episode 13: From Compostela to the Clubhouse: Pilgrim Feet and Family Fairways
Returning home from pilgrimage often reveals that the lessons of the Camino belong just as much on familiar fairways and everyday paths as they do on ancient roads in Spain. With warmth, gentle humour, and gratitude for family, this reflection explores the joy of carrying a pilgrim’s heart into ordinary life, discovering that grace continues to unfold wherever we walk with attentiveness, companionship, and thankful hearts.
Walking the Camino Episode 12: Going South to Go North
The Camino may eventually come to an end, but the work God begins through pilgrimage continues long after the final destination is reached. Returning home invites us to live with new eyes, slower rhythms, and a deeper awareness of grace in ordinary life. This reflection explores the transition from pilgrim to everyday disciple, reminding us that the most important steps are often the ones we take after the journey is over.
Walking the Camino Episode 11: When Queens Becomes the Next Stage of the Camino
Pilgrimage does not end when we return home—it simply changes landscapes. The lessons learned on ancient paths continue to unfold in familiar places, revealing that classrooms, workplaces, neighbourhoods, and everyday routines can become the next stage of the journey. With warmth, gratitude, and gentle humour, this reflection explores how the Camino continues long after Santiago, reminding us that every new season offers fresh opportunities to walk with the same attentiveness, humility, and grace that shaped us on the road.
Walking the Camino Episode 10: The Journey Home… Or, How Not to Get to Toronto in One Day
The journey home from pilgrimage is rarely as straightforward as we imagine. Delays, missed connections, and unexpected detours have a way of reminding us that even the trip home has lessons to teach. With warmth, self-deprecating humour, and the perspective of a seasoned traveller, this reflection discovers grace amid travel mishaps, revealing that God’s companionship extends through airports and interruptions just as surely as it does along the Camino itself.
Walking the Camino Episode 9: The Day Before the Journey Home A Day in Santiago
The final full day of pilgrimage is often filled with gratitude, reflection, and the quiet realization that the journey has already begun to change us. As the prospect of returning home draws near, we discover that the true destination has never been a place alone, but a heart made more attentive to God’s presence. With warmth and gentle wisdom, this reflection explores the bittersweet grace of preparing to leave while carrying the gifts of the Camino into the life that awaits beyond it.