By Glen Argan For the last few years, I have been planning to upgrade our compost bins behind our fence to include a third box. That would enable us to double our capacity for building compost – one bin would always be empty and two of them full. Yet, as I looked at the sight of the two existing bins,
Read more(Originally published in The Catholic Register, Toronto) By Glen Argan Fourteen years. That’s how long Jean Vanier said his life was in “a holding pattern.” After he left the Canadian Navy in 1950, he did not invite two mentally disabled men to live with him in Trosly, France, until 1964. Even then, Vanier had no idea that his “l’Arche” would
Read moreBy Glen Argan This Sunday’s Second Reading from the Book of Revelation is among the most astounding short pieces in the Bible. Situated after Christ’s victory over Satan and after the universal judgment, “the holy city, the new Jerusalem, [comes] down out of heaven from God.” And we thought that, at the end of time, we would go either to
Read moreBy Glen Argan (Originally published on Novalis’ Seeds of Faith blog.) Motherhood is one of God’s greatest gifts – for both the mother and the child. That it is a gift for the child is obvious. The child would have no life without its mother and would also lack the physical and emotional nurturing that mothers provide. Without a knowledge
Read moreBy Glen Argan Relationship. That is the key to the Good Shepherd. In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” We follow Jesus because he knows us and because we trust him. So often, our image of God gets distorted into seeing God as Commander in Chief. This god relates to
Read moreBy Glen Argan (Originally published in The Catholic Register, April 7, 2019) Hatred, murder and mayhem will not prevail. The power of love is stronger. At least, that’s the dream. In his March 31 homily at a Mass in Morocco, Pope Francis urged the country’s tiny Catholic community to be “an oasis of mercy.” He encouraged them “to persevere on
Read moreBy Glen Argan (First published in The Catholic Register) For fans of the Edmonton Oilers, like myself, the Stanley Cup playoffs are a time of mourning. Our team has only made it to the playoffs once in the last 13 years. Well, we can cheer for another Canadian team, but this season all three which made the playoffs – Winnipeg
Read moreBy Glen Argan “I am going fishing,” Peter said, and six other disciples sailed with him out into the dark. The dark. The place where God is absent, where that absence is felt. The night was long. It always is when we sail, seeking to achieve great things without the Lord’s help. The North Star may help one find their
Read moreBy Glen Argan (First published in The Catholic Register) Belief in the bodily resurrection from the dead of the crucified Christ is the core of Christian faith. St. Paul stated the point succinctly – “If Christ had not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15.17). Indeed, the importance of the resurrection
Read moreBy Glen Argan Alberta’s Catholic school system is again under fire from the province’s education minister, David Eggen. The issue this time is the “Catholicity clause” in teachers’ contracts which require teachers to agree to live a Catholic lifestyle. That Catholic teachers ought to live virtuous lives should be obvious. Our schools exist to impart a Catholic worldview to students,
Read more
On the Threshold 