We are living through frightening times.
Israel has resumed its genocidal attacks on the people of Gaza, with the full support of the US, while Canada breaks its promise to halt sending weapons (and weapons components) to Israel by allowing a 78.8 million dollar contract for artillery propellants to be used by the Israeli military.
A chaotic and deeply reactionary US government boasts about its disregard for human rights and intentional cruelty toward most of the world’s people.
Far-right political movements are on the rise in many countries around the world.
Liberal politicians “resist” the rightward shift by doubling down on the status quo, championing unsustainable extractive economies and deepening the exploitation and exclusion of migrants.
The weapons industry continues to feed conflicts and atrocities everywhere, and instruments of international law are largely powerless to stop it.
Climate chaos is accelerating but is often knocked off the political agenda by even faster-moving catastrophes.
When our hearts are filled with rage or fear or despair, we must remember what is sacred.
And so, we celebrate that construction has begun on Grassy Narrows’ Mercury Care Home.
We celebrate the youth of Grassy Narrows who continue to march for their right to clean water.
We celebrate the land defenders and water protectors and Palestine solidarity activists who act to disrupt violence against people and the land, despite the risk of arrest, criminal charges, or worse.
We celebrate the advocates who challenge unjust policies through the courts.
We celebrate caregivers who hold our communities together.
We celebrate the truth-tellers, the artists, the scholars who envision ways forward.
We pray for humility, courage, and wisdom to meet these times. May we be awake, aware and engaged. May we support one another to unravel patterns of violence and weave webs of solidarity. It is through connection, not separation, that we create safety and prosperity for all of us. While we rage and mourn and act together, may we feel and know the sacredness of life on this earth.
