donalddeanchambers

Hope and Light

I received news this morning of the death of a security guard from one of my former parishes. I now feel inundated under a rubble of darkness and despair. The news of death adds to the litany of global and local troubles. Crime Corruption COVID Sickness Brutal Murder Violence Social unrest War Preparation for warContinue reading “Hope and Light”

Meditation

Mindful meditation and Christian meditation travel along a similar road. While Christian Meditation (Centering Prayer) arrives at the destination of a deep awareness of God’s presence, mindful meditation arrives at the destination of a singular focus of the mind. Arrival at their destinations, however, can be erratic, turbulent, and chaotic like the formation of theContinue reading “Meditation”

Golden Age!

On the eve of her 95th birthday, Cherry Ray remarked to me, “People talk about our age as the golden age. What’s so golden about it when you have so many aches and pains and illness!” Our ‘world’ programmes us to believe that the golden years are the youthful years. Those years when we areContinue reading “Golden Age!”

Flexibility

For several days, I have been sleeping on the following words I heard on the BBC World News, “Blessed are the flexible for their lives will not be bent out of shape.” I am uncertain of the source. I share with you my rolling thoughts. We dream that every day of our lives will beContinue reading “Flexibility”

Awesome Wonder

An early morning gift Appeared in the morning sky. Dressed in seven colours – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Not just one, but two…stealing the attention of the morning sun. Like paparazzi chasing celebrities, Onlookers fetched mobiles for memorable pics. Lining up neatly like soldiers on parade, Almost inaudible, the sound of mobilesContinue reading “Awesome Wonder”

Synodality and Lent

Of late, I am reflecting on the question, “How can the Lenten season enable the Church to become more synodal? As we are cognizant, the synodal journey that commenced on October 10, 2022, aims to develop a Church that listens, discerns, and acts together. The term “People of God” is utilized to describe members ofContinue reading “Synodality and Lent”

Synod – Conversation and Evangelization

he Coronavirus pandemic has severely occasioned the diminishing participation in church life and attendance. Similar to the education system losing some students with the advent of online classes, the Church has also lost active and passive members. In a recent conversation with a youth leader, she lamented bitterly that, with the reopening of parishes forContinue reading “Synod – Conversation and Evangelization”

Synod and Spirit Driven

As I write this article, many dioceses within the Antilles Episcopal Conference, from Hamilton, Bermuda in the north, to Belize City/Belmopan, Belize in the west, and Cayenne, French Guyana in the Southeast, are undertaking the tedious task of the diocesan phase of the Synodal Journey. The overall goal of the synod process is to listenContinue reading “Synod and Spirit Driven”

Synodality – Listening to the Other

On August 18, 2022, I posted a personal blog entitled “Conversation, Conversation, Conversation” (belovedreflections.org) about the fruits from a weekend conversation with two friends. At the end of the blog, I identified three wisdom lessons about healthy conversation. It consists of (1) sharing and receiving different perspectives, (2) an awareness of what you don’t know,Continue reading “Synodality – Listening to the Other”

Spirituality of Tension

“My heart was burning for home. For a moment I felt like crying out, but . . . my mother’s voice came back to me. It was as if she was here and talking, Stay and take an education, boy. . . That’s the main thing” (Michael Anthony, The Year in San Fernando). Similar to MichaelContinue reading “Spirituality of Tension”