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”
Author Archives: donalddeanchambers
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”
Life is a rhythm
Life is a rhythm. I feel the rhythm of my heart, the rhythm of my breathing. I imagine my internal organs function on a rhythm – blood flowing through arteries and veins, kidneys purifying the blood, muscles expanding and contracting, eyes blinking. Life is a rhythm. The rhythm of flowing rivers, sunshine and cloudiness, ebbContinue reading “Life is a rhythm”
Sacrifice and Light
I know well two daughters, full time caregivers of their mothers who suffer from dementia. For several weeks, I witness the light of patience, care and compassion emanating from the words and actions of these daughters. Even when stretched to the limit by the uncontrollable and unpredictable actions of their mothers, they bend like coconutContinue reading “Sacrifice and Light”
Desmond Tutu and Jamaica
THE EDITOR, Sir: If Jamaica is to become a phoenix rising from its current socio-economic quagmire, then there would be need for a more responsive and humane system of governance. Governance is understood as the manner of addressing and organizing the people’s business. However, responsive governance relies on consensus building, and consensus building depends onContinue reading “Desmond Tutu and Jamaica”
Governance
THE EDITOR, Sir: If Jamaica is to become a phoenix rising from its current socio-economic quagmire, then there would be need for a more responsive and humane system of governance. Governance is understood as the manner of addressing and organizing the people’s business. However, responsive governance relies on consensus building, and consensus building depends onContinue reading “Governance”
Christ Like Figures of Health Care Workers
I had a painful conversation with a health care worker. Her eyes communicated physical and emotional weariness. Working non-stop, without vacation since the start of the Corona Virus pandemic. Struggling to balance work, family, church, and personal responsibilities. Her daily clothing is the feeling of being overwhelmed. Underneath her clothing is a painful moral/spiritual dilemmaContinue reading “Christ Like Figures of Health Care Workers”
Doors of the Human Heart
Like a house, the physical heart has doors called valves. Opening and closing, they rhythmically allow blood in and out of the heart. Like an automatic glass sliding door, these valves open and close, open and close for our entire life. They permit just the ideal volume of blood into the heart chamber; just theContinue reading “Doors of the Human Heart”
