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Love Your Neighbour

I think the universe has been sending me a message this week. At every turn the message to love my neighbour has bubbled
to the surface. I’m not complaining! What a great message to sit with this week.

It started on Monday. I was in Edmonton, attending the 100th Convocation of St. Stephen’s College. Rev. Dr. Catherine MacLean gave the address after receiving her Honorary Degree. She spoke about the valuable gift theological colleges and their students offer to society by creating spaces for us to make meaning in our lives. It was grounded in the most important message of our faith – love your neighbour.

On Wednesday our Lunch Study group delved into the scripture readings for this week. We talked about the story of Ruth and how loyal and loving she was to her mother-in-law, despite the fact they were from neighbouring countries who were enemies. Then we heard the familiar passage in Mark about the most important commandments – to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself. That took us into a conversation about who our
neighbours are and about the changing face of our communities as we welcome immigrants from a variety of countries.

Allan and I have wonderful neighbours who are from India. We are thinking of them at this time as they celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Diwali is the most significant festival of the year in India and it’s certainly an important celebration for our neighbours. What a gift it has been for us to learn about another culture, embrace our differences, and really learn to love our neighbours. A typical Diwali wish might be to wish you joy, prosperity, and warmth to your home and family. That
is my wish for you today.

Peace and joy,

Nancy