Introduction to Reflections from Montreal Interns

Over the next few weeks I would like to welcome some wonderful guest writers to The Community. Some of the interns of the Montreal Mission Internship will be sharing their reflections as they wrap up their time in this innovative program in the Diocese of Montreal. Rev. Rhonda Waters is part of the leadership team that works with this program and will introduce you to an experiment in mission. Watch for more reflections over the next few weeks to get a better idea of this program.—Laura Walton.

Sharing Brutal Bible Stories with Children

Should we share some of the Bible's brutal stories with children?  This is a question I wrestle with each night when I read Bible stories to my daughter before bed. Although the stories I read are written for children, they are still full of violence and brutality.  I admit that I will skip over some of the more horrific scenes or replace words like "kill" with hurt. However, as suggested in this article from Kate Newman, there are times when it may be appropriate to share these traumatic stories. After all Christ's suffering and death are central to the Christian story. Each child is different, so our approaches may vary depending on the age and the individual temperament of the child.  Far too often we insulate our children from the reality of life, and the certainty of death. If we provide our children with a safe, secure and peaceful life, their exposure to moderate amounts of Biblical trauma may be difficult to process, however, at the right time and place, such stories may actually enrich their lives in ways that we commonly do not appreciate.
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Love, Faith and Family

In this post from the Community, Laura Marie Piotrowicz focuses on an act that demonstrated love and faith and family. As she says, "It is not something that will make the headlines, but it certainly made the heartlines."

Tired of the Bickering Over Same Sexed Marriage

Over the weekend I spent some time reading about the recent decision of the Supreme Court of the United States regarding the legalization of same-sex marriage. I combed through the many responses that can be found on the web regarding this. There were those, both Christian and non, that praised this decision as an expression of God’s divine will. There were also those, both Christian and non, whose vitriol against same-sex couples was horrific and disturbing. In the midst of all of this, I have come to a conclusion.