Our hearts are heavy as we bear witness to grief and suffering in our local communities and around the world. We feel the weight of the devastation caused by the recent tragedy in Laval, Quebec, the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, revolution in Iran, and armed conflicts in Yemen, Ukraine, and Myanmar. The cumulative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the violence against Indigenous, Black, and marginalized people, are both exhausting and overwhelming.

“It is understandable to feel saddened, outraged, or helpless as we read or watch the news,” says Anne Barker, President of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers of Canada. “As we strive towards a more peaceful, just, and equitable world, may we come together to heal strands of the great web as in this prayer by Rev. Erika Hewitt.

Healing Strands of the Great Web

Mystery of mysteries, we are thirsty for justice and bearing witness to grief. 
We’re claiming our inherent wholeness, and healing strands of the Great Web.
We are hungry for liberation and cracking ourselves wide open. 
We are mourning the dead and fighting for the living. 
We’re singing for joy and striving for meaning.
We’re embodying love;
reaching out in love; 
acting on Love’s behalf;
And letting that Love wash over us, ebbing and flowing, as it carries and holds us all.
May we do it all over again when the new day comes. 

***

The following organizations are accepting donations to address the crisis in Turkey and Syria:

• Medecins sans Frontieres / Doctors without Borders
• Red Cross (Government of Canada will match donations made by February 22, 2023 up to $10 million)
• CanadaHelps
• Coalition of charities joining together to help with earthquake

~ From the CUC’s National Voice Team: UU Ministers of Canada President, Rev. Anne Barker; CUC Board President, Chuck Shields, and Executive Director, Vyda Ng.