Dear Lord, we need you

Dear Lord, we need you

Cathy here. Please excuse the public praying. I should be holed up in some lowly corner, sinner that I am. I need help, Lord, even to pray. So timid, afraid to speak peace, or even to speak at all. I need belief to overcome my unbelief. I distrust your promises, I doubt your call, I…

Remembering Syria

Remembering Syria

Over the past two days there has been unfolding news of devastation in Syria and Turkey. Early in the morning of February 6, while most were at home sleeping, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the region – followed by a major aftershock 12 hours later. I write these words on the evening of February 7 and there…

A Prayer for Our Times
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A Prayer for Our Times

O Father God, the Lord of all,the one who sent your sonwho mother-like her people calledto come to her for helpand safety from the comingholocaust of Rome or Hunand later still the Teutonand now the terror wreaked bySlav on brother, sister Slav today. . . peoples, nations, folk,who had no optionbut to choose to sufferas…

‘We have hope’
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‘We have hope’

“It is a miracle that we are still alive,” Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, told 80 members of the press. “So many good people around the world are united with us in their prayers and in their generosity.” On February 8, 2023, Aid to The Church In Need (ACN International) hosted…

How I fell in love with liturgy
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How I fell in love with liturgy

I don’t like to apologize. Apologizing means taking responsibility for something you have done wrong, which is never fun. Over time, I have realized it is a necessary part of living as a sinful being in a fallen world, but when I was younger, my mom had to force me to apologize. I protested that…

Where’s Jesus?
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Where’s Jesus?

When 19 children and two teachers are murdered we cry, where’s Jesus? When a white supremacist kills 10 African Americans in a supermarket, where’s Jesus? When nations wage war bringing death, destruction, famine, homelessness and economic chaos, where’s Jesus? When loved ones suffer from cancer or mental illness, where’s Jesus? One might treat this question…

In the valley of the shadow of covid
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In the valley of the shadow of covid

Severe pain radiated from the left side of my chest. My lungs felt scraped raw; two rib joints were so swollen they protruded like giant knuckles. “It’s just inflammation from your body fighting covid. There’s nothing we can do,” the attending doctor said, after several tests had normal results. “Go home and rest. Take Advil.”…

A Prayer for Our Times

A Prayer for Our Times

How soon, how soon, / I ask plead beg / Before you enter in once more / to strike the heart of darkness / rampant in our world?

When God meets you at the beach
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When God meets you at the beach

I love a cold, crisp morning, when the sun’s just broken over the horizon. I bundle up in my thickest coat, pull on my mittens and hat, and make my way outside. It’s about a 10-minute walk through my neighbourhood, past still-sleeping houses. There are a few other early morning walkers out as well, some…

Tears as prayers
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Tears as prayers

Have you cried lately? If so, do you know the meaning of your tears? It’s a complicated question. We humans are not fully transparent to ourselves – we are not fully aware of the experiences or realities that shape our emotional lives. Our tears in any situation may result from past experiences, diverse sensitivities, hormonal…

Knit together
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Knit together

It was a simple beginning in a secondhand book store, several summers ago. Among a jumble of other craft books was a beautifully illustrated book of shawl patterns, perfect to take when next visiting a close friend of mine, Joyce, who is a talented knitter. The title was A Prayer Shawl Companion, written by Janet…

Home Depot prayers
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Home Depot prayers

Among the gifts of the pandemic, I would suggest, is our increasing attentiveness to everyday work and workers. Over past months there has been a new energy given to our congregational prayers for front-line medical workers, for those who deliver online orders, and for staff in grocery stores. As we enter the new normal of…