Diocesan Seniors Luncheon

Good food, great conversations and loads of laughs -- that's what made our first diocesan Seniors Get-Together a great success. We also had a special guest. Bishop Emeritus Henry came and shared his seniors wisdom on how to be fully alive as a unique creation of God. If you missed the event, here are some of the highlights of Bishop Emeritus Henry's talk: ​

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God yearns for his people to be fully alive - How do we get to that state? 

​1. At Peace with Oneself

There are Christians who have been led to believe that you should love your neighbor and hate yourself. The challenge of Jesus' spirituality is to "love your neighbor as yourself," which clearly presupposes that you already love yourself. This may appear to be natural and spontaneous but the fact is that many people do not love themselves -  hate themselves -  who they are, what they are, and where they are – some would prefer to be somebody else, doing something else, living somewhere else, perhaps with a body that is different from the one they have. 

Self-love is not the same as selfishness or self-centeredness. We all too frequently are divided against ourselves. We need to become whole. We all have issues to deal with and yet we know that we are lovable. God loves each of us unconditionally.

The challenge is to learn to love ourselves, unconditionally - accepting ourselves as we are, no matter what we have done, even  in our perhaps, shady past. We have to learn to forgive ourselves. We have to learn to accept our weaknesses, our limitations, and our shame. And  humbly embrace the truth about oneself. 

2. Loving One's Body

Truly, a considerable number of people have difficulty with the aspect of “ loving their bodies”. There are several possible reasons for this - an aging body, a body that is tired, sickly, and wracked with pain, or an “ ugly” body, that is to say, a body that does not conform to the latest standards of beauty and attractiveness. So, one comes to perceive their body as a burden they have to carry. There are those who were brought up to treat their bodies as a handicap that they will be released from when they die.

You can begin to actually hate your body maybe because it is not what you want it to be, you can get angry and impatient with it. You can also become afraid of your body because of its seemingly uncontrollable appetites and desires - including our sexual desires. We all have to find a way of happily owning our gender, our sexual orientation, and our desires. For some that can be a long and painful struggle.

Pleasure and pain are an inevitable part of bodily life - both are a gift from God. Pleasure in itself is a gift from God to be savored and treasured. It becomes a problem only when the ego co-opts it for selfish purposes, when it becomes self-indulgent. Pain is also inevitable and a gift from God - e.g. chest pains - what does it signify and what to do about it;  nevertheless, we will want to avoid it however we should not make the mistake of thinking that happiness means all pleasure and no pain. Happiness is the ability to handle my pain, whatever it may turn out to be and to postpone or give up pleasure whenever necessary.
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Loneliness is a psychic pain -  a disconnect somewhere: transcendental, cultural, social, personal. This is “a flashing red light” . Figure out where the disconnect is and take action or something worse may happen. I need to become aware of myself as one whole organic being and not an amalgam of separate parts. Nor is it just a matter of accepting my body as it is. If my love of myself includes my body, then I need to embrace my body, care for it, and treat it well. That will mean looking after my health, eating properly, getting enough exercise and rest. 

3. Loving Our True Self and Embracing Uniqueness

Ever wonder about the popularity of the Prayer of St. Francis? Why is that? Because it's so deep and profound. 

• The two sections of the prayer both begin with powerful words, “Lord” and “Divine Master”. We are servants who are called to empty ourselves, surrender and serve God, God’s will and whomever God sends into our lives. The first section is dedicated to peace, the Easter gift of the Risen Christ. We pray to be instruments of this peace. Yet,  Easter peace goes far beyond clenched fists, angry words and the absence of war. It’s fullness can only blossom when we have confronted the very roots of conflict and dissension: hatred, injury, doubt, despair, darkness and sadness - all experience that suggest a life centred upon “me”. And so, following in the footprints of the Lord, we pray to sow the six seeds of Easter peace: love, pardon, faith, hope, light and joy.
• The second half of the prayer reminds us that the ego needs to be overcome. “Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.” Easter peace is a product of priorities and preferences arranged in consideration of “thee”, not “me”. Indeed, it is about giving, not receiving; it is about pardoning, not being pardoned.
• The prayer comes full circle and concludes the way it begins, with a reference to the resurrection “For it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” the resurrection and its Easter peace are the beginning of Christian spirituality as well as the finish line. 

Remember that each of us is unique. There has never been, and there never will be, an individual person like me — or like you. We are not superior or inferior to others, neither better nor worse. But we are different — and unique. What matters is not whether my role is small or large or how much time it will require or whether I will play it as a prominent leader or as a starving child. My role and my contribution whatever they may turn out to be, are unique. Don't try to play another role or someone else's role. Each of us has a unique role to play in the mysterious unfolding of the universe. 

~From: Bishop Emeritus Frederick Henry at the Diocesan Seniors Luncheon, June 18, 2018 - at St. Joseph's Church, Calgary, AB.