Learning from the wisdom of children
“I’ve had many teachers, most of them children,” says Patricia Erb. “The best ones.” It could be seen as a surprising assertion from Erb, who, at 63, has been involved in human-rights work since her early teens. She has three decades under her belt at Save the Children Canada—the Canadian arm of the development organization…
Why I advocate for human rights
In contemplating where our passions come from and why we do what we do, we often look to our childhoods. In my childhood, I was faced with several tensions, which formed me and led me to study history. Leona Lortie is the public engagement and advocacy coordinator for MCC’s Ottawa office. (MCC photo by Meghan…
Peter’s Letter to Canadian Christians
To the friends living in the colonized lands of the Salish, Mi’kmaq and Innu. This is Peter, follower of the poor Christ, in prison on the West Coast. I write because the time is urgent. Some say, “The end of the world is at hand” (I Peter 4:7). Some say, “Eternity is being determined now.”…
The view through a prison keyhole
Tony Deik experienced a dramatic return to faith when he was studying at Birzeit University in the Israeli-occupied territory of the West Bank. Raised Roman Catholic in Bethlehem, he had mostly abandoned that faith as he experimented with secular and New Age ideas instead. Still restless though, he decided to read the Gospel of John.…
‘Our children need to know’
“It’s really cool to see white people here today,” said Cheyenne Fineday. The first nation teenager was speaking at the 140th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 6 on Aug. 23, 2016. Held at Stoney Knoll, 76 kilometres north of Saskatoon, the celebration included both indigenous and settler peoples. The 1876 treaty granted the Young…
Follow the money
What is the real cost of the things we buy? That’s the question I asked myself during Uprooted, a three-week learning tour for young adults through Mexico, Guatemala and Arizona that took place in May. Organized by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Alberta and MCC Saskatchewan, the tour looked at issues surrounding migration in Central America…
Bethlehem experiences
‘How you experience holy is different than you expect it to be.’ -Rev. Carrie Ballenger Smith After a year of travel, seeking faith and justice on four continents, there are lessons that I am still unpacking. Between the busy schedules of church, master’s thesis work, travel and work with the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF),…
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday, The place for bleakness, twisted mourning, black. I like this day, today, How it holds permission to wallow and be in the dark, To wander in the twisted depths. Today I am low, I am in the earth, I am unbreathing I have been buried alive by the blind of this world They…
Ally or accomplice: What does the Lord require of us?
There is a popular language arising in the church when it comes to justice work, that of “being an ally.” It means to align yourself with whoever your “other” is, so to love your neighbour and serve the Lord. But what happens when words are not enough, and when having only words of an ally…
Revelations of stones: Reflections on Palm Sunday scriptures
Luke 19: 28-44 Verse 40: “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (NIV) I wish you a happy celebration of this Holy Week, and most recently, happy Palm Sunday! Since yesterday I’ve been pondering the Luke 19: 28-44 passage that was presented at church. It speaks of Jesus entering the…
