Nations Reconcile and Restore

The psalmist in the texts for today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary calls on the Lord “Do not let the downtrodden be put to shame; let the poor and needy praise your name.” This lament follows the description of the desolation which overcomes the people who lose track of the work of the Divine in their lives. The humiliation expressed in these texts is countered by the restoration of health of the centurion’s son and the mother-in-law of Peter. Jesus acts in communion with the faith of the healed and the observers to bring health He reaches out to the family of the centurion, who is an outsider and an infidel to Judaism From our perspective, 2000 years later, The Roman Catholic Church has benefited from the “Roman” influence in Church history. (Certainly, a list of misfortunate events and attitude can also be linked to Roman influence, including the very ‘authority’ model presented to Jesus by the centurion). This week descendents aboriginal people and the European people gathered on the Halifax common to commemorate 400 years since the “Baptism” of Grand Chief Membertou. The Mi'kmaq have contributed much to Atlantic Canada Catholicism over the centuries. The faithful in Mi'kmaq communities inspire others by the depth of their devotion. A special gift of Mi'kmaq to Christianity is the devotion to St Anne, mother of Mary. The maternal tradition in Mi'kmaq culture is strong. This is a life filled viewpoint for all Christians to consider. The response of the people in Halifax Common hopefully indicates a change of heart of the ‘majority culture’ towards the people whose ancestors helped the original Europeans survive the winters of this sometimes cold and unforgiving landscape.