Invocation

2 TRIBUTE TO H. NORTHROP FRYE EVA KUSHNER, Professor of French and Comparative Literature; President of Victoria University PIERRE JUNEAU, former Chairman of CRTC (on which Northrop Frye served, 1968-77) ALEXANDRA F. JOHNSTON, Professor ofEnglish; Principal ofVictoria College HOWARD PENTLAND, Secretary of Theological Education, United Church of Canada Invocation JOHN HOFFMAN We have corne in a time of loss and sorrow but we have come to celebrate, remember, and give thanks. Let us pray: Gracious God, father and mother of us all, source of truth and wisdom to those who would know the truth, fount of compassion to those who mourn, open our hearts and minds, our wills and imaginations to the transforming power of your spirit that in this time together we may with deep gratitude remember ourfriend, Northrop Frye, draw strength from his witness to your mystery, power, and love, and dedicate ourselves anew to whatsoever things are true, pure, lovely, and of good report to the honour of your name. Amen. Dr Frye wrote often of mystery, as did St Paul. Behold I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye at the last trump, for the trumpets shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality; then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'death is swallowed up in victory.' 0 death, where is thy sting; 0 grave where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Introduction ROBERT PRICHARD Today we join together in common cause to mourn the loss ofan extraordinary Canadian, Northrop Frye, and to share with his wife, E1i2abeth, our ...