“Mom, Aunt Mel – Look!” Everyone came pouring into the living room. Two teens proudly held out a small package. I could see something dun-coloured under the plastic, but it was unrecognizable. “Guess what?” they said happily. “We shrink wrapped a hot-dog bun!” “Stop putting random things through that,” Jeff groused, without any real anger…
As a Christian scientist, there are questions I do not have answers to and often do not understand. A source of many questions is the scale of the universe in contrast to the particulars of our faith. The universe is large and old, reflective of the power of our God, but our faith hangs on…
I’m not exactly sure when it happened, but my mother has changed a lot. She used to be one of my favorite people. Now all she does is ask questions, try to micromanage my life, and embarrass me just by being who she is. Of course, she still throws in an occasional hug, which –…
In 1941, the poet W. H. Auden started writing a Christmas oratorio to be set to music by Benjamin Britten. He imagined it as a set of modern-day monologues voicing the perspectives of characters in the Christmas story and he shifted the setting to represent the world around him. The mood of the poem was…
June 2014. My team of five arrived in Beit Sahour. We met our homestay family, Orthodox Christian Palestinians who lived just outside of Bethlehem. Our days were spent volunteering at a local organization that offered respite for families with special needs children. Our evenings and weekends were ours to explore and learn. There was so…
I woke up one morning last week convinced that it was Friday. As the coffee surged through my veins, I opened my iPad and noticed the date said Saturday. Several minutes passed before I admitted to myself that I was wrong. Somehow, I was a whole day behind! Although extreme, this is not an isolated…
One of the best things about Christian Courier (in my biased view) is that you’ll come across Canadian artists you’ve never heard of before. Chances are you first heard of poet Andrew Lafleche and photographer Karene-Isabelle Jean-Baptiste right here, with us. We don’t want your engagement with these brilliant creators to end there. That’s why, at the end of the year,…
In my home, fall brings birthday cake and bread shaped like dragons. The cake is a Blitzen Cake for my dad, made with his mother’s recipe and it is always spectacular: double layered meringue and sponge with a gorgeous custard filling. Sometimes, I put coconut on top, sometimes toasted almonds. This year, I had an…
Most of the travellers on the road walked faster than we did. Most were young and in a rush to get to Santiago de Compostela in time for Easter. We were a family of five and kept pace with each other. The cathedral wasn’t going anywhere. And Easter would happen wherever we were. When I…
Many years ago, when I was still a graduate student, I decided to read some of the major Russian novels of the 19th and 20th centuries. It’s taken me decades, but I finally got to Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment (1866). The story is set in the imperial capital of St. Petersburg. Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov…
Does anyone recall “Build Back Better”? It became a popular rallying cry midway through covid. After the first lockdown, we saw that collective action could develop vaccines faster than ever and provide support to keep poor households afloat. Covid exposed vulnerable spots, such as old age homes, but there was also optimism that we could…
“As long as we are not quite sure we are unworthy, God will keep narrowing us in until he gets us alone.” Oswald Chambers There’s a kind of loneliness that almost befriends you. A kind that wraps around me, scarf-like, as I ski across the fields. The snow is much like I imagine manna would…
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