Mary, Mother of God

Jesus,
you look to Mary
your mother,

who is
still
calm
centered
in God,

and you cling
to her.

You need her.
You love her.

Out of her deeply
rooted soul in God

you will be
opened up
to the Christ
that you are,

The Way
The Truth
The Life.

Mary,
look upon us
with strength and compassion,
and nurture us
into the way
of your Son.

The East Coast Trail

The wild trail
invites
a stepping into
the unknown,
an adventure
into mystery.

Wooded shoreline
opening up
unto expansive ocean.

Cluttered mind
opening up
to depth and freedom.

Wet, pungent earth,
roaring, merciless sea,
invigorating, salt air,

screaming out
yet silently saying

"you are alive."

There is nowhere,
only here.
There is no time,
only this moment,

full of mystery,
full of the unknown,
full of adventure,


full
of life.

God is everywhere

in the stars
in the galaxies
in the sun
in the moon
in the earth
in the sky
in the mountains
in the valleys
in the oceans
in the rivers

in the creatures in the sea
in the creatures on the land
in the creatures in the air

in creation that is unconscious
in creation that is conscious

in the rich
in the poor
in the old
in the young
in the gay
in the straight
in the sick
in the dying
in the stranger
in the known

in the refugee
in the immigrant
in the religious
in the non religious

in the babe
in the manger
in the bread
in the wine

all is one in God
God is one in all

everywhere is full of God
God is full of everywhere

Witless Bay Trail

Delightful trail
winding along ancient shorelines,

through forest,
                       above cliffs,
                                          across brooks
                                                                 emptying
                                                                 themselves
                                                                 into
                                                                 the
                                                                 sea.

Ground brush
sweet to smell.

Paths
full of recent rain.

Ocean spray
gentle in the air

the fruit of a pounding sea.

Across the horizon
islands of sanctuary
for birds
of every kind.

Endless ocean
filled with life and mystery.

A walking meditation
for the journey
into God.

Nature's Call into Selflessness

The vast expanse
of open landscape
pulls me
out of my little self
and drops me
into the incredible
inclusiveness of nature.

The open pastureland
stretches out
until it is one with
the horizon.

The winding trail
melts
into the forest's
fire of colour.

The eagles soar
with free abandon
under the brightness
of the sun.

The bay opens out
to the endless
mystery
of the ocean.

Breathe,
see,
feel,
hear

nature's call
into selflessness.

The Season's Unfolding

With golden fire
the birch is consumed
as it begins to fall away
to nothing.

The wind has changed
as autumn descends.

What was new
is now dying,
returning to dust,
the air is pungent.

Another season has passed
as time marches on, aging all of creation.

Spirit whispers
"open"
to the seasons unfolding,
as all things are made new.

Autumn's Doors

Blow gentle breeze,
warm and delightful.

Your presence
is a fading gift

as the leaves that you rustle
begin to die and crumble.

Autumn's doors
are opening,

inviting
a different wind.

Air that promises to be
cool and sharp,

forcing the earth
to withdraw into itself,

creation's sabbath,

letting go of a passing season,
while longing for a new time,

a new gift
with a new breath,
resurrection,
warm and delightful.

Pope Francais

Holy
and deeply open,

Francais
knows who he is
in God.

A man of prayer,
wise and rooted
in the Spirit of Love.

No one
is outside
the love of this Pope.

No one
is outside
the love of God.

Sinner
Saint
Gay
Divorced
Impoverished
Refugee

He commands
the worlds attention
as he speaks out

for God
who is
in all.

Back to Church: A Poem

Back to church,
it is the call,
an invitation to all.

You've been away.
You've been busy.
You've forgotten.
You've had no interest.
You have not known

something
in your life
is missing,
you know it.

Back to church
is an invitation
to discover what is missing,
or to find it again.

The something
is not
morals and rules.
The something
is not
a list of do's and don'ts.

The something
is an invitation
to go deeper,

deeper into love,
deeper into friendship,
deeper into God.

You are invited
to come to church
and discover more of life.

GW

Meditation is a Dance

Meditation
is a dance

that all are invited

to simply give
themselves to.

It is a dance
of surrender

letting go
of all
that diminishes life,

while stepping into
the spaciousness
of love.

With each new step
the false self
is striped away,

and the way
to a new self
opens up before you.

Dance for more joy.
Dance for more freedom.
Dance for more love.

Step deeper
into your inner life,

into the calm and peace
that is your truest self.

Refugees: You Belong to this Land!

I belong to this land.

My forefathers and mothers came,
brought their language and customs,
and made the land theirs.

Yet there were those here
before them
with different languages and customs.

The land is theirs
Too.

And there are others
who came
and are coming,

with different languages and customs.

The land is theirs
Too.

I belong to this land.
You belong to this land.

Backpacking with the Saints

Newfoundland and Labrador has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. So this past summer I was more intentional in getting out on our trails and enjoying our wilderness. My daughter and I hiked along the East Coast Trail from Flat Rock to Torbay (arriving just in time for Sunday service at St.Nicholas). My son and I backpacked from the Goulds to Bay Bulls, and spent the night near the famous “Spout”. He and I also backpacked from Trepassey to St.Mary’s through the Avalon Wilderness Area, spending the night at the beginning of Peter’s River. These were wonderful experiences of being present to my family, exercising my body, and soaking in phenomenal Newfoundland scenery. I did two more significant wilderness excursions this summer, but with an added objective: to backpack in solitude with a saint! I was inspired to try this after reading Belden Lane’s “Backpacking with the Saints: Wilderness Hiking as Spiritual Practice.” My first solo hike with a spiritual master was into Dunphy’s Pond in Terra Nova Park. The bear pole to hang food from and the clawed up bear box at the site were somewhat unsettling. After getting my camp set up, I took my journal and Thich Nhat Hanh’s book “The Miracle of Mindfulness,” and made my way to the side of the pond. The deep silence of the forest was incredible. It was only interrupted by the occasional song from a loon. Hanh’s book is a simple instruction on how to watch our breath as a form of meditation. So I’m watching my breath, surrounded in deep silence and thick forest, not a soul around for miles…and I can’t get the thought of a bear stumbling across me in my little tent out of my mind. So much for mindfulness! I packed up and left! My next attempt at solo backpacking was from Brigus South (on the Southern Shore) to Roaring Cove. This was a beautiful experience of being alone with God in the wilderness. I brought Thomas Merton with me and his book “Thoughts in Solitude.” After the sun went down, and I settled into my sleeping bag, Merton was a great companion for my meditation into the night. With the sounds of the sea roaring, the river rushing, the cool and expansive night air on my face, Merton, and the creation around me, reminded me of my own smallness in God, yet my absolute oneness with God and all of creation. Backpacking with the saints has opened new doors for me to experience God in creation.

The wilderness

is calling

my soul

out of 

the noise

and routine

of the city,

into 

the silence

and uncertainty 

of the wild.

Spirit

calls on 

spirit

to wander

in solitude,

to see afresh 

or for the first time,

the beautiful wonder

of creation,

to be recreated 

with an awakened 

heart

to the brotherhood 

and sisterhood

of all that is.  

Look Gently Upon Yourself

Love is risen.
Love is alive.

Love covers
the multitude
of my sins.

The brightness
of Love

pulls me
out of darkness and despair
and into the light of the living.

Compassion
washes over me

and opens my heart

looking gently
upon myself

and softly
upon every other.

There are no words for love

There are no words
for love.

Love is beyond
thinking and reasoning.

Love is the force of soul
erupting from the depths
of the human heart.

It is a power
that cannot be captured or measured.

It is a flow
of unifying Spirit

that we surrender to,
that we consent with,
that we step into.

It can be seen
on the faces of lovers.

It can be felt
in the presence of another.

One awakens to
and realizes love

as the substance
of their truest self.

Love is who you are.
Love is what you are becoming.

The Day of Your Wedding

What joy!
What love!

Your two young souls
bursting with joy
as your eyes meet
in that beautiful moment
on your day of wedding.

I am overwhelmed
by the power of your emotion.

I get caught up
in the stream of your love

flowing to,
flowing fro,


a force
which catches and carries
everyone along with you.

You are aware only of each other
in that moment of union.

Yet the depth and wonder of your love
is known and experienced by all.

Tears gush down.
Emotions unfurl.
Minds lose reason
in the waves of your love.

All words are lost
in the shared experience
of two young hearts
meeting
for the promise of married love.

Summer, where are you?

Summer,
where are you?

I've been expecting you,
longing for you.

But you have not arrived.
You seem so far away.

Will you not visit?
Even for a day?

Your sun and your warmth,
offers rest for my soul.

Come, summer,
open the sky,

pour down your sun
on this frozen isle.

Summer Rest

The summer season
draws near.

The strings
of the tightly wound instruments
of work and responsibility
will be loosened for a time.

The summer rest
is a time for
re-creation,

a time
to breathe deeply
the invigorating air
of wilderness,

a time
to know nothing
only this moment
of living,

a time
to unwind
body, mind and soul,

and be
the wild Spirit
that we are,

that dreams
may come more freely,

new vision
may come more freely,

new life
may come more freely,

new love
may come more freely.

A Prophet's Voice

A prophet's voice
cries out from a distance
and speaks truth into your heart

a word
for you alone
and for all.

A prophet's presence
draws near
and hold's a mirror to your face

challenging
you alone
and all.

A prophet's Spirit
enters your soul
with compassion and love

filling
you alone
and all.

Jesus
is more
than a prophet

loving
you alone
and all.

Love is Beautiful to Behold

Love
is beautiful
to behold,

a living Presence
deep
within the soul.

Love
is a wide open spaciousness
in which self
is forgotten,

and the freedom
of simply being
is discovered.

Love
is what we are made for.

Love
is for us to fall into.

Love
is what we are.

Even in death there is life

Even in death
there is life.

For a person
who has been
intentional
with their life,

open to and embracing
the wildness of the journey,

present and available,
with love and compassion,
to friend and stranger alike,

creative in relationship
with those closest to them,

alive to the moment
and the excitement of living,

is a person
whose life,
even in death,
remains
with others,

a person
who lives on
in the heart
of God.

Calm in the Storm

The storms of life
are always stirring,
blowing one way,
then another.

Gusts of turbulence
coming from all directions,
and life is unsettled,
unstable.


until

Your face
is noticed
in the stern of the boat,
that is my soul.

In your gaze of love
I become forgetful
of the storm
even as it rages.

Look lovingly upon me
as you bring
deep calm
into my life.

Open my heart

As the warmth of the sun
opens the flower
to light,

so your presence
opens my heart
to love.

There is a rich beauty
about your gaze
that draws me
to you

until

there is only
you.

You are
the face of love

that looks past
my shortcomings and weaknesses,

and knows only
my heart,

knitting mine to yours
in a beautiful unity of life.

You are Jesus,
lover of my soul.

God's friendship is Trinity

Friendship with God
is balm for my soul.

Friendship with God
is the truest of friendships.

God's friendship
knows me for who I am
and loves me still.

God's friendship
is without condition
and a constant Presence.

God's friendship
is the love
that resonates deep in my soul.

God's friendship
is for all,
no one is excluded.

God's friendship
is Trinity

The Creator
The Redeemer
and the deep Spirit that makes us one.

Love of God

Love of God,
You alone are my desire.

I long
for more of You.

You come from deep within,
and complete the whole of my life,

and I am filled
with You.

All that I see and touch
reflects your beauty,
shines with light,
and is You.

When my eyes are truly open,
my world is consumed
by the fire of your love.

You are everywhere,
in everything,
in everyone,

and I am so alive,
and free
in your love.

April in Newfoundland

the rain falls
the snow disappears

slowly

a brown
half frozen earth
emerges

the promised new life
of spring

is yet to break forth
into the light of day

yearning
for the first signs
of natures budding

there is hope
in what is still to come

and the call
to a warmer land!

A Poem for the Sacrament of Confirmation

When you were born
your parents brought you
to me.

I welcomed you
held you
and kissed you.

I received you
as one of my own.

I prayed
for the Spirit to fill
your hearts and your homes.

We sang as we went to the font,
washed you in water
and gave you new life.

And now
you have returned to me,

to confirm
your "yes" to love.

I am
the Church
the Body of Christ
and you
are mine.

The Place of New Life

sacred silence
holy rest

Jesus
offers peace

resurrection peace

sink beneath
the noise and distraction

trust
and let go of
self

rest
in the place
between your thoughts

the place of
sacred silence
holy rest

the place of
new life

the place of
Resurrection

Locked Rooms

Christ
you enter
into the locked rooms
of my heart,

not that you enter
for you were always there,
but I become aware
of you,

and you simply breathe.

You breathe
your sweet
life giving fragrance
into my mouth.

I drink deeply
and become
intoxicated
with You.

Your love
filling me
freeing me
sending me

out from my dark locked rooms
into the light of the living
to breathe your Love
into others.

Easter Sight

There is more to you
than meets the eye.

You are more
than what you say.

You are more
than what you do.

You are more
than what you think.

I need new "eyes"
to see that deeper you.

I need to see you
from the eye of my heart.

An Easter
heart
that can see
an Easter
you.

The Silence of the Tomb

The silence
of the tomb

echoes the music
of holy rest.

Total surrender
to nothing
to everything.

Having let go
into the mystery
of the unknown,

only to have
the heart
awakened

by the fullness of Love

holding all of what is
in the embrace
of Life.

New Life (Resurrection)

Holy One
you call us to more.

Jesus suffers
and opens the way

to more union
with you.

From that place
of unitive life

my truest self
is without sin

my truest self
is worthy

and at one with Life.

From this calm depth
may the new creation
that I am

rise

and transform
my entire life

until I am only

Love.

You Are Who I Am

In March of this year I completed the second residency in a two year program offered by Shalem Institute in Baltimore, titled “Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Groups and Retreats.” 

This has been a wonderful opportunity of deepening contemplative practice in community, and of stretching my experience with new and varied meditative practices. The objective of meditation is to help open up our ego personalities and our thinking minds, in order to become aware of and live out of that deep well of “living waters” within. Our deepest and truest self is our spiritual heart made in the image of God and is in absolute and undivided union with Divine. This deep and loving union cannot be merited, bought or won; it simply is. Jesus says “I am in the Father and the Father is in me; I am in you and you are in me.” St.Paul says that “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Christ calls us to learn to live and love more deeply out of our spiritual heart. 

One of the meditation exercises that we did while in Baltimore, was to sit knee to knee with another person, and to look directly into their eyes for 10-20 minutes. Where am I seeing that person from within myself? And what is it that I am seeing in the other person? If I am only seeing from my ego or thinking mind, I cannot know deep union with the person. If I am only seeing their personality or how they think and behave, I cannot know deeper union with the person. But if I am gazing from my spiritual heart, I am going to see the person as God sees them. I will see past what separates us, and will experience a deeper soul union with the person. Cathy was the person who I sat with for this exercise. A sophisticated and bright mind who works for Congress in Washington, and is gay. As we sat in silence gazing upon one another, what I saw in her was not her personality or sexuality, not her intelligent thinking mind, but I saw myself in her. My spiritual heart gazing upon her spiritual heart. The same Spirit lovingly gazing upon the same Spirit. It was a holy Communion.

There is a beautiful sufi mystical song that says “I am who I am, thank God I am. I am who you are, looking back. You are who I am, can you imagine that. There is one God, that is a fact.” This is simply another way of reframing what Jesus also teaches. The call on the human spirit is to learn to live from a deeper place within our soul, where there is no judging or separating, only unitive conscious love in God. 

You love me completely

You see me
and know me
better than I know myself.

You see
the movements within me
that I wish you could not see.

You gaze
upon me
knowing me fully

and You love me.

You love me completely
You love all of me.

Why?
Because I am wonderfully made.

And I am to see others
as you have seen me

and love completely.

Lent's Call to Freedom

Freedom,
God's gift.

Freedom,
the image
of the fully awake
human.

Freedom,
from the narrow
confines
of self.

Freedom,
from incessant
thinking and
worrying.

Freedom,
to know
the deep calm
of universal Spirit.

Freedom,
to be open
present
available
and in Love.

Winter Stillness

Soul, mind and body

soul,
mind, and
body

together
they are
divine

the body
senses
it's beauty

the mind
understands
and separates

the soul
loves
and unifies

a changing life
is the only
truth

as body
surrenders
to mind

as mind
is absorbed
into soul

what was separate
becomes
one

what was
contained
is set free

The Church's Business is Friendship

I’ve read somewhere recently that loneliness is epidemic in Canada. Our technology, social media and internet connectedness, as important and useful as they are, can in no way meet the deeper needs of the human soul. The human heart is made for friendship with God and with others. In our fragmented, distracted and disconnected society, the church should be a place of warm welcome and intentional friendship.

At one level in the life of the church, we need to foster an open presence and friendship with all those who come across our path. Not just with those who look and think like you, but especially with those who are different than you. Friendship with God is inclusive of all souls and all of creation. There are risks involved in this open stance to friendship. Being open and present to someone who challenges your comfort zone translates into being willing to be stretched and changed yourself.

We recognize the place and value of community friendship, but the soul also needs friendship on a more intimate level. There can be people in our lives who share common interests and living experiences whom we are called into friendship with. Such friendships can be found supportive in family life, professional living, and a multitude of social settings.

Probably the most important form of friendship is the soul friend (or Anam Cara in the Celtic tradition). A soul friend is someone you can share deeper movements of heart and spirit. It is someone who can help you recognise barriers and obstacles in our ego’s and mind’s, as we open up to our deeper spiritual hearts. This deeper spiritual heart is our truest self made in the image of God. A life is more fully lived when lived out of this deep place of loving union, and deep place of friendship. Soul friends, by opening spiritual hearts, each to the other, experience deep love which pours out upon all other friendships and relationships.

The Church’s business is friendship. So lets be intentional on being friends with those in our church, friends with our community and beyond, and friends with God - our longed for Friend.


In the human heart
there is a natural longing
for friendship.

Friendship
that promises
more life,

in an unfolding
mysterious
experience.

Where
friendship and living
become synonymous.

Where
loving constantly
is still not enough.

Where
the friend reveals
the longed for Friend.

Friendship

In the human heart
there is a natural longing
for friendship.

Friendship
that promises
more life,

in an unfolding
mysterious
experience.

Where
friendship and living
become synonymous.

Where
loving constantly
is still not enough.

Where
the friend reveals
the longed for Friend.

Lonely Road

Lonely road.
Still forest.
Calm sea.

Landscape articulates
the souls longing
for more Life.

Out of the lonely, still, calm
emerges deeper soul union
and overflowing love.

Lead me lonely road
Silence me still forest
Drown me calm sea

that I may only be
Love.

Spirit of Love

Spirit of Love

the desire of every human heart.

It is You that we need

more and more.

Even when we do not know love,

there is yet an unknown need for more of you.

Even when we think we know love,

there is yet a deeper need for more of you.

Even when we are bursting with love,

there is yet an eternal need for more of you.

Well up from within,

burst asunder the flood gates.

Drench with love this heart of mine,

that each soul I encounter may know the dew of Life.

To Breathe is to Love

Spirit
pull me beneath
the water's surface.

Drown in me
all that is not
love.

Draw me deeper
until I can breath
no more.



Until I die
and my only vision
is you.

Raise me then
to new
Life.

A life where
to breath is
to love.