Two years ago, I looked out over my first Christian Ethics classroom in Saskatchewan. I was excited, even more so than I had been in my 11 years of teaching in Catholic schools in British Columbia. I was excited because, unlike in BC, almost all my students were not Catholic. And who they were instead blew my mind.
While that semester went on to be a challenging one, it wasn't because of the diversity of faith. |
almost all my students were not Catholic |
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With the imminent publication of Pope Francis's encyclical on ecology, we are perhaps going to see a first in Church history: a papal pronouncement that is better received by the world than by the Church itself. That is, some Christians are already indignant of the use of papal authority to address the right use of Creation - or at least, many fear the pope's word on the subject will not agree with theirs. In the happy expectation of creative tension within the Church, I thought to remind us all of the usual way of such things, to wit: the Pope speaks, and the world kvetches. Here, then, are the 5 worst-received papal documents. Why do I count myself so blessed to work among disadvantaged youth?
Because there is a poverty that comes with privilege. I will tell you that the poor are not automatically virtuous or attractive; I will tell you that middle-class comfort can also give rise to goodness and holiness and justice. But the poorest among us lay claim to Christ’s presence, and saint after saint has found Him there, in them. Why the preferential option? What is this preferential option? This past week, we sensed something new in the air. Warmer weather seemed to knock a crack in winter’s grip. We saw ice melt, breathed the scent of wet earth, felt sun warm on our faces. We might still have a ways to go, but we are headed for Spring. For us as Christians, also, we have a ways to go, and we are headed to the excitement and celebration of new life. We do this often, finding in the Created world the rhythms and blessings of life with the Creator. And so it is with our present season, Lent, in which we hold on to hope as we journey up to and through the cold darkness of Christ’s Cross to the warmth and light of Easter morning. Lenten reflection often stirs up in me this kind of eager anticipation, even while I feel the lingering bite of a cold wind. Lent holds death and life for us. Nasty ashes on our foreheads, hunger pains and giving up treats, and at church the doom, gloom and boom, boom, boom of nails through flesh into wood, alongside with: candles in darkness, bright colours discovered in the grass, and a new tomb, with the rock rolled back for us to see its emptiness. We smash up our attachments to creature comforts during Lent, only because we are so close to the brilliant and sustaining reality of the Resurrection – the definitive answer to sin and death. Even at our worst, we can’t keep God’s love from coming back to us at Easter time. Even the worst we’ve seen, comes back as the best there is. TODAY is the last day the Saskatchewan College of Physicians and Surgeons is receiving feedback on a new policy.
The new policy: if the college thinks it impacts patient "health or well-being" a doctor must deliver a medical procedure that the doctor thinks is morally wrong or the doctor could lose the license to practice medicine. So a doctor must disregard what they understand to be right and wrong in order to be a doctor in Saskatchewan. |
AuthorRyan LeBlanc, B.A., B.Ed., M.A, is a career classroom teacher, learning leader, and workshop facilitator. Now, his cutting-edge educational methods and years of practical experience with thousands of learners are available through his comprehensive online courses. Categories
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