|
|
 |
The Homecomingby Stephanie Muzyka Nos chers parents c'est votre tour Our dear parents, it is your turn The well-known Quebecois chorus rang through the crowded ferry terminal in Quebec City. In the entrance, 40 leaders from France stood motionless, a large French flag in front of them, tears streaming down their faces. Just inside the doors, a few hundred Quebecois, joined by a small group of English-speaking Canadians from across Canada, waited to embrace them. It had been a wait of almost 250 years. The Battle of the Plains of Abraham on September 13, 1759, was the beginning of the end of the dream of les canadiens in New France. Though it lasted only 30 minutes, more than 1300 men were killed and the commanders of both forces, Montcalm (French) and Wolfe (English) were mortally wounded. The English won the battle, claimed Quebec City and the French retreated to Montréal for the winter. But les canadiens were not about to give up easily on their 150-year-old dream of New France. The next spring, they returned and defeated an English force outside of Quebec City. They laid siege to the city in which the English forces were encamped as both sides waited for reinforcements to come. On May 9, 1760, the French hopes were dashed as the English frigate Lowenstoff sailed up the St. Lawrence. Unbeknownst to les canadiens, Louis XIV had decided to forgo his interests in Canada. New France had been abandoned. But on this day, July 6, 2004, a new page was being written in the history between France and French Canadians. Church leaders from throughout France and Belgium, like their forefathers centuries before, had made the journey across the Atlantic. And on this sun-drenched summer morning, the French "parents" had boarded a ferry on the south side of the St. Lawrence river, to sail across to the foot of the Plains of Abraham. On the opposite shore, hundreds of French Canadians waited, straining for a glimpse of the boat. As they saw the ferry approaching with the French leaders standing on the top deck waving le drapeau tricolore (the red, white and blue flag of France), les canadiens erupted in wild cheering. As the boat began to dock, they rushed to the entrance where they now stood, singing their welcome to the "parents" they had waited to see for so long. As the French leaders cautiously stepped forward, they were passionately embraced by les canadiens. Holding one another in their arms, generations of pain were melted by the simple power of forgiveness. "It was such a mixture of emotions, explained Fabienne Pons, a ministry leader from France, as she reflected on the previous day's events. "At the same time that I was rejoicing, I was so filled with shame. I felt that if the boat ride would have lasted another minute, none of us could have gotten off the boat. Because our hearts were breaking into pieces. We from France came back as prodigal parents. And we couldn't believe it was true that the French Canadians wanted to welcome us like this. It was like the father receiving the unworthy son - but in reverse. This isn't normal - this is a love from beyond. A love I am unworthy of; I can only say this is a manifestation of a supernatural time that was spoken about in Malachi 4. This is a true "agape" love." "It's so true," shared Michel Barbez, a pastor from Belgium. "I too felt as if my heart would break. But I know it's part of the healing process. There is something amazing when the children with their justice and their love cover the unworthy behaviour of the parents. It breaks your heart but at the same time it restores your heart. This love is touching us - we feel your heart and it means so much for us. I think there isn't a better place on their earth than here." "I was not planning on coming here," began Alain Lopez, a pastor for France. "Then last month, on the 6th of June, I was watching a TV broadcast of the 60th celebration of D-Day on the beaches of Normandy. And all of a sudden, I saw this old Canadian solider kneel on the beach and scoop up the sand into his hand. And he looked up and said, "The blood of my friends is here". And in that moment, I knew that I had to make the sacrifice to go to Canada, because Canada had made the sacrifice for France. And since we arrived, we were so overwhelmed with these waves of love and healing. We feel like Jacob who thought his son had died. We are like this old man whose heart has been so cold, but now we see our son is alive, and little by little our heart is reviving! Forgive us for waiting all these years, for not coming sooner, forgive us. We are afraid because we don't even know how to show you our hearts, but at the same time, we are filled with a hope. And love." Samuel Rhein, a French prayer ministry leader, continued. "The Bible says that sons are an inheritance of the Lord. And when we look at you, we have the feeling that we are "receiving back' the inheritance that God has for us. We don't know what to tell you other than we love you and we are so proud of you." "Yes," agreed pastor Bernard Chauliac, "we are proud of you. And we all need to learn from you. What we see here is that you are building a new model, a church that comes from above. And we need you. Old France needs to come up higher and we see the hope for this in the "New France" we have found in you." "That's right", concluded Samuel's wife, Michelle, "you are the best part. The best part of France." The Homecoming Gathering took place in Montreal, Canada between July 6 and July 10, 2004. For more reports on the events of this gathering, please visit www.thehomecoming.ca Stephanie Muzyka is a TV producer and writer who lives in Edmonton, AB. |
|
