We become neighbours when we are willing to cross the road for one another.
Henri J.M. Nouwen.
School’s Out, Summer’s In!
YAY! We Made it!
The last week of June brings cause for many celebrations of school year endings, with mixtures of sadness and relief. In Ontario, the last day of classes for the 2024-2025 school year is June 25, 2025, for secondary students and June 26, 2025 for elementary students.
This is also a time when Indigenous communities celebrate Summer Solstice with Pow Wows.
Recently I had the privilege of attending a pow wow in which young people especially were encouraged to “strut their stuff” in song, drumming and tribal dances. The host of the event kept saying” here we have the leaders of the future in their regalia who will carry our ways into a new World.”
I sincerely believe that the Indigenous peoples will show us not only the importance of treating everything in a good way but can and will be our partners in showing us how to create a better world.
Yes, there are various graduation speeches delivered:
Grade 8 graduations typically celebrate student achievements and offer encouragement for the future. They often thank teachers and families, acknowledge the journey through middle school, and look forward to the new chapter of high school. Inspirational themes might include overcoming obstacles, the importance of friendship, and the value of individual growth.
The high school graduation has its special characteristics of becoming leaders for the future. It is time to move forward, keeping our relationships, inspiring each other. “WE ARE READY” is the theme of hope and determination to create a better world. This particular graduation address went viral:
If you barely made it through high school, these quotes are for you:
“High school was easy. It was like riding a bike. Except the bike was on fire & I was in hell.”
“Somehow I managed not to burn down the school or myself – Success!”
“Well, I made it through high school… with minimal casualties.
“They said ‘reach for the stars,’ but I’m just happy I reached graduation.”
“To all the teachers who said I’d never amount to anything: surprise!”
“I may not have been at the top of my class, but hey, I made it to the finish line!”
“Here’s to the classmates who made it interesting, the teachers who made it bearable, and the cafeteria food that made it memorable.
“They said ‘the early bird catches the worm,’ but I prefer the ‘last-minute cramming catches the diploma’ approach.”
“To all the late nights, early mornings, and countless cups of coffee: thanks for getting me through high school… barely.”
“I survived high school like a pro: with a mix of luck, caffeine, and sheer determination.”“Here’s to the friends who stuck by me, the teachers who believed in me, and the cafeteria cookies that sustained me.”
"You will never have more energy or enthusiasm, hair, or brain cells than you have today." 46 Funny Graduation Quotes to Share.
In this your journey of LIFE, what would be your comment as you graduate from one stage and move to the next?
-Sister Kathleen Lichti, csj
Remembering Walter Brueggemann
In Memoriam of Gustavo Gutierrrez and Walter Brueggemann - Part 2
Walter Brueggemann: A Prophet for our Time
Hear the word of the Lord…
For the Lord has an indictment against the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or loyalty,
And no knowledge of God in the land.
Swearing, lying, and murder, and stealing and adultery break out.
Bloodshed follows bloodshed.
Therefore, the land mourns, and all who live in it languish:
Together with the wild animals and the birds of the air,
Even the fish of the sea are perishing.
(Hosea 4:1-3)
Hosea’s lament is stunningly resonant today. Renowned Scripture scholar, beloved teacher and regular preacher in United Church of Christ communities, Walter Brueggemann devoted his scholarly career and his life to pointing that out and drawing the necessary challenging conclusions for faith communities. Like the ancient prophets, he called us to fidelity to our call in a contemporary satiated consumer culture, to fidelity to the word of God, to a God of justice and righteousness, of steadfast love, of compassion and mercy. What does fidelity to God and the covenantal demands require of us today? An answer was his gift to us.
Walter Brueggemann’s was not interested in detailed textual analysis alone. Woe betides students who failed to make the required move to interpret the current social reality in light of their textual analysis, fine as it might be. Gone was the prized “A”!
A short blog does not do justice to the lasting contribution of Walter Brueggemann. Let me simply offer a sense of his main argument in his own words. The Prophetic Imagination, one of Brueggemann’s early and best-known books, envisions an alternative prophetic community whose task is both to criticize and energize:
“On the one hand, it is to show that the dominant consciousness (which I have termed “royal”) will indeed end and that it has no final claim upon us. On the other hand, it is the task of the alternative prophetic community to present an alternative consciousness that can energize the community to fresh forms of faithfulness and vitality…. It is the task of prophetic imagination and ministry to bring people to engage the promise of newness that is at work in our history with God.” 62
At great cost to themselves, the prophets of old preached fidelity to the word of God. Throughout a lifetime of exploring ever more deeply the implications of their message, Walter Brueggemann has left us a blueprint for a communal response. May he rest in peace.
-Sister Joyce Murray, csj
An article from On Being with Krista Tippett:
Walter Brueggemann, In Memoriam — When the World We Have Trusted In Is Vanishing
Image: Héctor J. Rivas/Unsplash
St. Jean Baptiste Day
The Fête nationale du Québec, the official holiday of Quebec, is celebrated on June 24th. It honours both the summer solstice and the patron saint of French Canadians, St. John the Baptist. Over the years it has evolved into a vibrant celebration of Quebec’s language, traditions and community spirit.
Saint John the Baptist, a 1540 painting by Titian
St John the Baptist is a major figure and recognized as the last Old Testament prophet and the precursor to Jesus. The French however are far from the only ones who venerate St. John the Baptist. He is honoured as a prophet in Islam, a significant figure in various Christian traditions, including Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches. Bahai, Druze and Mandaeism also venerate him and remember his messages of repentance, preparation for the Kingdom of Heaven and baptism. It is widely held that he baptized his cousin, Jesus.
The church has set aside two feast days regarding his legacy, June 24th,to celebrate his birth and August 29th to honour his martyrdom at the hands of Herod Antipas at the request of his daughter Salome.
Pray for us great St John the Baptist that we may lead other’s to oneness with Jesus.
-Maureen Condon, Associate
