In the summer of 2008, I found myself yelling ‘legalize democracy!’ at a crowd of rodeo-goers in Laramie, Wyoming. I was finishing off an excruciating season of canvassing for the Ralph Nader Presidential campaign, and convincing people to sign my petition for ballot access, was like asking them to poke their eyes out with a dull pencil. Nader, during his four runs as a third party candidate, pitched himself as the lefts’ untainted moral option. If you were going to... Read more
This week marks the beginning of the Hajj, the final month of the Muslim calendar, when Muslims from around the world will be converging on Mecca to commemorate the holiest moments in their faith’s history. The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims are called to make the journey at least once in their lives. This week also marks the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and the botched attempt... Read more
This week I read J. Philip Newell’s lovely book Christ of the Celts. While it’s a bit shallow on historical or theological detail, it does a wonderful job pointing the way to how the Neo-Celtic Christian movement might help in birthing Christianity anew. Newell, a well respected priest in the Church of Scotland and a popular retreat leader, outlines the Celtic response to the most iconic, and unfortunately, the most damaging Christian dogmas: Original Sin, Celibacy, Ex Nihilo creation and... Read more
This weekend I had the privilege of interviewing Charles Brandt, a hermit-priest in the Roman Catholic tradition, living on Vancouver Island. I headed over the night before and camped near Oyster Bay, where a local group had worked to restore the estuary. As the sun set I sat in silence on the east coast of Vancouver Island looking at the rugged west coast of mainland British Columbia. Killdeer were singing and as the sun steadily sunk into the western horizon... Read more
Today started like a normal Monday. I woke up at 6:45 am and stumbled to my altar for 30 minutes of silent mediation and prayer. I made two eggs and some coffee. I gathered my things and headed for the front door of my East Vancouver home. Dreading the hour-long commute by rickety bus, I thought to myself, what if I walked? I looked up the directions on Google: 14 km (8.6 miles), an estimated 2 hours 55 minutes. That... Read more
I often take walks in the Mountain View Cemetery near my house in Vancouver. Opened in 1886, it comprises nearly 100 acres with nearly 145,000 souls put to rest. There is a Mason section, a Chinese section, a Jewish section, and large swaths devoted to veterans. The cemetery sometimes hosts concerts or plays in the cemetery. There are Celtic crosses, Russian Orthodox crosses, and Chinese script within feet of each other. When I go I see runners, dog walkers, Pokemon... Read more
Dew mats down swirling tufts of uncut grass just off the sidewalk. Glass, cigarettes, plastic bags, gum, a refrigerator. Sledgehammers pound through walls and ceilings in a perfectly good home So that condos can rise out of Vancouver’s ground like trees made from cement, steel and glass. Read more
This week I was feverishly trying to finish transcribing the nearly fifty interviews I conducted with Benedictine and Trappist monks from four monasteries in California, Oregon and New Mexico. The work is surprisingly draining and it makes my fingers ache, but hearing and reflecting on the soft voices and practical wisdom of these contemplative men again has been very rewarding. This week also happened to be the Republican National Convention, which, after some controversy on the convention floor the first... Read more
I am no expert on racial politics. And after the events of the past week, I am doing more listening than speaking. But I wanted to jot down at least a few reflections that feel relevant from a blog concerned with how we live on and in the world. As I have learned from the over 50 monks I have interviewed in the past six months, Holyscapes are not so much domains, as they are worlds. A person or a... Read more
What initially drew me to Catholicism as my current spiritual home was a realization, after 30 years of practicing Mormonism, that grace was central to the Christian life. When I began participating in the Eucharist, the center of Catholic Christianity, this beautiful ritual not only made present for me the Body and Blood of Jesus, it also pointed me to the fundamental beauty, mystery and givenness of creation. The Eucharist is a way for me to practice the presence of... Read more
Holyscapes
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In