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A VIEW FROM THE BACK PEW

By Rev. Canon Christopher B. J. Pratt

December 2025 has been a difficult time to be aware of the content of the news circulating in our global village.

As I write these words the world is still reverberating from the sounds of gunfire on Bondi Beach, Australia, as members of the Jewish community who had gathered in that setting to celebrate the Feast of Hanukkah became victims of violence.

Earlier in the month, the community of Montreal paused to remember the violence which ended the lives of fourteen women who were the focus of an attack on St. Nicholas Day in 1989. As a memorial which was accessible to the entire community, this year fourteen searchlights were pointed up over the city, their bright white lights were in contrast as they broke through the black night sky. As I have followed Philosopher’s Walk on the grounds of the University of Toronto, I have paused to note the growth of the small grove of fourteen trees which were planted as a memorial and as signs of life in the face of violent death.

When individuals violently strike out, generating pain and loss, they impact communities and families. Family violence has deprived the world of continuing to benefit from the creative talent of Rob and Michele Reiner. Far away from the Hollywood spotlight there are families that face violence in some form as a daily reality.

In the midst of news cycles which convey the tragic impact of violence at a very local and personal level, the sabre-rattling language used by individuals who wield power at a national and international level is disquieting. As parents and grandparents, as concerned citizens and as people of faith, our own levels of anxiety rise as we see the hopes that we have for future generations, to live in and explore a peaceful world, be challenged.

In St. Mark’s Gospel, Jesus offers a direct response to our concerns:

And when you shall hear of wars and stories of war breaking out, do not fear, for all this must happen before the end will come. There will be tribal wars, and nations will make war against other nations. Food will be scarce, and the earth will shake in many places - but this is only the beginning of the time of sorrow, like a woman feeling the pains of birth. You must stay ready and be alert! (Mark 13: 7-9)

Time after time, we are called by our Lord not to be afraid. Living in a world that is in distress challenges us to place our focus on what we may do to stand up to what we perceive to be generating the dark turmoil around us.

After the shootings on Bondi Beach, the Governor General of Australia, and after having engaged in a consultation with the Jewish community, the Governor General reached out to all Australians and asked them to light a candle as a message of solidarity with those who had been the focus of violence. A simple request. A simple act of support. A simple declaration of national solidarity against violence.

In the Region of Waterloo, the public lighting of the candles of the Hanukkah Menorah that stands in the community square took place with the presence of extra security. The lighting of candles is offered in remembrance of an historic struggle for political and religious freedom. Hanukkah is a Festival of Light.

In stark contrast to the episodes of dark violence that I have referenced (and who knows what will happen between the time that I write this article and the moment that you will read it), during the month of February, we come to a time in the year when individuals try to determine a meaningful way to express a message of Love.

In the world in which we live, chocolates, roses and special cards seem to be sufficient when it comes to conveying that message of love on a one-to-one basis. Traditionally, at its heart, in the witness of a Christian martyr named Valentine, we find a message of the light of love shining through the darkness of the world around him. In one of the stories which is told, as a priest, Valentine offered the sacrament of a Christian marriage to young lovers, which meant that the man was not available for service in the Emperor’s army. This disruption in the pattern of conscription led to Valentine’s incarceration and, eventually, because he refused to renounce his faith in Jesus, to his martyrdom. It is Valentine's message of sharing God’s Love in God’s World and with each other, that we treasure and remember.

We look around us for signs of hope, and for messages which indicate a vision for the future which we may translate into reality in our own lives. Few people perhaps, look to our present political leadership for a message which stirs our hearts. In the not too distant past, as he dealt with the challenges of a cancer diagnosis and faced his own impending death, Jack Layton, a former leader of the NDP, wrote a letter to Canadians which concluded:

“My friends, Love is better than anger. Hope is better   than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be Hopeful, Loving and Optimistic. And we'll change the world.” (August 20, 2011)

Whether it is seen in the power of searchlights or in flickering candlelight the message remains the same. It is a message which, as people of faith, we know well. The Gospel of St John frequently references the contrast between darkness and light. Jesus declares:

I am the Light shining on this dark World. The ones who walk with me will not stumble in the darkness, but will have the light that give them life.

(John 8:12)

In these days it is a good thing to be reminded that we are called to let the light of our faith shine in the darkness, so that through our words and actions, whatever they may be, that God’s Love and God’s Peace will become a reality in God’s World. May that be true in your life and mine.

Rev. Canon Christopher B. J. Pratt has retired from full-time parish ministry but continues to offer priestly ministry in the Diocese.
chrispratt@diohuron.org

* Note: The quotations for the Gospels are taken from “Walking the Good Road” First Nations Version (FNV)

Photo: Oscar Keys/Unsplash