It was the most fun and fulfilling thing I accomplished in the Congo – producing my first song for peace. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a French-speaking country where I worked for six months, the most common phrase was "nous sommes ensemble" – "we are together." And we are. We share this world, and will enjoy peace and prosperity together or suffer together – the choice is ours. Although...
(more)
I am excited to be celebrating the International Day of Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was a very special day and week - I produced my first song, Nous Sommes Ensemble, I acted in my first play with the spectacular Lumiere Du Monde drama troupe from Rwanda, and I enjoyed the poems, acting, and passion for peace shared by the youth at CBCA Virunga's peace day celebration.
The...
(more)
A hero of peace flew away –
one who saw treasure beneath imperfection
to reveal God’s reincarnation in each conception.
A hero of peace flew away, but not quickly.
Not before planting two blossoms on The Farm, which multiplied into a bouquet of thousands. They’ve perfumed France, indeed the world, for over fifty years.
Their scent intensifies still.
A hero of peace flew away.
This is nothing...
(more)
Since I heard of him, Jean Vanier has been one of my beloved living saints. When I read “The Broken Body,” I felt like I was reading the next book in the Bible, the gospel in human frailty and poetry. When I heard his lectures on “Becoming Human,” his exhortation to individual freedom and global communion resonated as the global path to peace. Yes, the world could escape exclusion, and embrace...
(more)
It’s Good Friday, the day when Christians follow Jesus down the Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering. Pilgrims in Jerusalem physically retrace Jesus’ steps from the place of his judgement to his crucifixion, and believers around the world retrace Jesus’ last steps through the Stations of the Cross. Figuratively, we can all follow him more closely by reflecting on Jesus’ sacrifice in our hearts....
(more)
It's 25 years since the beginning of the 100 day massacre that left one million Rwandans dead. At the time, I watched helpless and horrified from my home in distant Canada. Today, I am writing this overlooking Rwanda's beautiful hills from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in Rwanda is what first inspired me to become a peace blogger. The genocide...
(more)
Look at this temple that soars to the sky
Now look a bit closer — do you see why?
The bright colours that adorn such lofty towers
Are fragments of glass no bigger than flowers
Once beautiful china, they were dumped in the sea
As worthless and broken, nothing to see
IMG_20190108_150159.jpg
When I saw their beauty, and learned from whence it came
I reflected...
(more)
At the 2018 Parliament of the World's Religions, I had the privilege of hearing Arun Gandhi speak of his grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi, who guided Arun in his formative years. Angry at racism in South Africa, Arun was sent to live with his grandfather in India to learn how to transform his anger into positive action. Two powerful practices was journalling about anger in order to find peaceful ways...
(more)
This year, Liguorian magazine gave me a dream commission — writing four articles on diverse aspects of peace. We began with an exploration of interfaith peace and ways the Bible embraces the whole world, including people of varying faiths. Next, we ventured into the valley of the shadows of death and terrorism, and saw how the light of God shines even there. Thirdly, we considered how theology...
(more)
This summer, I explored new aspects of something that has long fascinated me — dancing for peace. Dancing is one of my favourite endorphin-enhancing activities that help me get out of my head and into my body. Invariably, dancing increases my joy and peace, along with my heart rate. So when Dances of Universal Peace practitioners met in Toronto's High Park, I joined them to incant peace into our...
(more)
Pages
