The Crisis in Cuba and Christian Witness

 

                                                       Matanzas Theological Seminary

The United Church of Canada expresses its unwavering solidarity with Cuban Mission and Service partners and the people of Cuba. At a time of deepening interconnected crises, the United Church condemns the recent  executive order (opens in a new tab)issued by the Trump administration, which declares a national emergency and establishes a process to impose tariffs on goods from countries that sell or otherwise provide oil to Cuba. This threatens the right to life and the wellbeing of Cubans. 

We spent time as tourists in Cuba on several occasions over time although we haven't been there in at least 15 years. Even though we enjoyed the respite from the cold of Canadian winters we became increasingly concerned about the the oppressive regime generally and the lack of religious freedom, despite statements to the contrary. We were very aware that tourism was an economic engine for the country and those who served us in resorts were dependent on Canadian dollars to lift them above poverty.

Now, thanks to an American embargo on Venezualan oil entering Cuba, most tourism has ground to a halt and the country is suffering from power outages and serious food insecurity. People have no money and are starving in the dark. This embargo is punitive for average Cubans who have no say over government policy. Canada is trying to figure out how to offer aid to those who need it most. 

On one of our trips we visited a Christian seminary in the city of Mantanzas, a simple oasis in the midst of the poverty. At the time the United Church had am active partnership with the seminary and our son, Isaac, considered doing a portion of his theological education there. We toured the grounds and saw the extensive vegetable gardens which provided produce for the seminary and the broader community. We had brought with us cloth and sewing supplies for a collective sponsored by the seminary and we met with the coordinator later in Havana. They simply didn't have the money for or access to these supplies within the country. 

I have been thinking about this Christian witness in Mantanzas and about the ministries of the Roman Catholic church in Cuba. A spokesperson for the RCs said recently:

“Food prices are rising. Medicines are scarce, medical services have been reduced, and surgeries are limited only to those whose lives are in danger. Access to drinking water has become more difficult because many people depend on water trucks, and without fuel, they cannot reach them.”

In this context, the Church — poor and among the poor — offers a pastoral ministry of charity and consolation. “It is in the area of charity that we are perhaps being renewed and continually growing, as we see increasing needs and experience the Lord’s call to serve Him in the poor,” he said, recalling the many assistance efforts carried out — often with great difficulty — for the most vulnerable.

The prospects for Cuba are bleak and while President Trump has mused about a "friendly takover" of the country, starving the poor is not a form of liberation. 

I'm not sure to what extent the United Church connection has continued but we can pray for Christ's church in all its expressions in the country. Here is a link to the United Church response to the current situation:

https://united-church.ca/news/new-us-tariffs-target-cuba-united-church-offers-solidarity-cuban-people

                Various moments from the social pastoral ministry of the RC churches in Havana

Living Water

 

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” (although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized),  he left Judea and started back to Galilee.  But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 

 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

John 4: 1-7. 13-15 NRSVue 

Both Lower Trent and Quinte Conservation Authorities have issued warnings about high water levels in rivers and streams due to heavy rain and rising temperatures. The message is that banks might become unstable and flooding is possible. These are important cautions although I'm somewhat pleased that they are necessary. Last year drought in our region was so sustained that water levels dropped alarmingly, wells dried up, and many dependable channels became a navigation nightmare. Our waterways need to be replenished. 

                                                               Samaritan Woman at the Well -- He Qi 

Wouldn't you know that the gospel reading for this Sunday in Lent is exclusive to John, the story of the encounter between Jesus and a woman at a precious source of water, a well. It looks as though our pastor (and son) Isaac will tie what is the lengthiest conversation between Jesus and any person in the gospels to International Women's Day, a thoughtful choice. In the back-and-forth of this exchange Jesus, the Jew, promises the Samaritan woman Living Water, even as she provides him with a drink to quench his thirst. 

Although this story abounds in symbolism, as is the case with so much of John, it is also a reminder of the value of water for daily sustenance. Finding sources of water and managing them was a vital part of every day, often women's work. Some of you may have read James Michener's novel, The Source, which unfolds the complex history of the region through countless generations with the focal point  of a particular water source. In years past I would recommend this entertaining saga to those who were going on trips to Israel and Ruth read it before we visited in 2023. 

The paucity of water in places around the planet due to global heating is becoming a crisis and even in normally watery climes such as ours is cause for concern. While we watch the extensive bombing of Tehran in Iran, there is another emergency for this city of well over 10 million.  Officials have been warning about Day Zero, when the taps run dry as the country has endured six consecutive years of severe drought.

When we read the story of the Samaritan Woman we appreciate that Jesus is offering a deeper spiritual truth to this rejected person, a message of hope and acceptance. Perhaps we can also rethink the symbol of  Living Water as the precious resource that brought the two of them together in the first place. Water is sacred in many religions, complete with rituals and liturgies. 

Am I suggesting that the seemingly endless snowfall of this Winter was actually a blessing? I'll let you decide!

The Cruelty of Bill 94

                                                                         Asma Qureshi 

The madness of Bill 94 continues in the province of Quebec. The bill, adopted last Fall, introduced a further set of secularism measures  banning the wearing of religious symbols for all school employees, students are prohibited from wearing face coverings, and the ban on religious symbols now also applies to parent volunteers at schools.

At the time former education minister Bernard Drainville said "In Quebec, we made the decision that the state and religion are separate. And today we say the public schools are separate from religion. " 

Now the ban on symbols and apparel extends to parent volunteers at schools. I've written before about how this targets Muslim women more than any other group because of the hijab head covering. Even though finding volunteers in schools is a challenge one mother will no longer be able to offer assistance in her childrens' library. Another has been planning an end-of-school meal for her kids and their classmates but won't be permitted to serve it.

Asma Qureshi, who wears a hijab, has volunteered in various capacities for seven years at the same school Khan’s [llbrary volunteer] children attend , including this year helping to organize a lunch for her daughter’s graduating class.She and her husband, who owns a restaurant, are donating all the food.

“One of the things that hit me hard is that when I asked if I could participate in that event and be there to distribute the food, I was told I couldn't because of my hijab,” Qureshi said, adding she’s feeling a mixture of hurt, sadness, anger and shock. 

Seven years of generous service to children. What if a parent showed up to volunteer wearing a toque, or a beret but was known to be a Muslim or a Jew? Would the secularism police be called in to make a judgement about the head covering as a "stealth" kippah or hijab? Who does this really serve, and doesn't it deepen the "us and them" prejudices that lead to hatred and misunderstanding? 

According to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms we are all guaranteed freedom of conscience and religion. Quebec is still a part of Canada, isn't it? 

Rembrandt, Rediscovered

  In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.  Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.  But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. Once when he was serving as priest before God during his section’s turn of duty,  he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to offer incense. 

 Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside.  Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified, and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. 

Luke 2: 5-- 15 NRSVue

With my art history background stories about "lost and found" paintings and prints are catnip for me. Recently a set of 35 Rembrandt etchings were discovered in a folder left to a Dutch woman by her grandfather years before. This is an important reminder -- never throw out anything! 

Rembrandt is in the news again, this time in the form of a "lost"  painting from 1663 which was known by experts. disappeared for more than 60 years, only to be rediscovered and authenticated by experts. The rightfull owners presented Vision of Zacharias in the Temple for tests at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. According to the BBC

Rembrandt was 27 when he created the painting, which depicts the Biblical scene when priest Zacharias is told by the Archangel Gabriel that despite their age, he and his wife will have a son, John the Baptist.

The museum said Rembrandt had given the Biblical story an innovative twist. Instead of depicting the Archangel Gabriel visibly, he only suggested his presence. In doing so, he departed from established visual traditions and introduced a new way of representing this subject.

Rembrandt deliberately chose the decisive moment, just before Gabriel reveals his true identity.It is one of the few history paintings Rembrandt created during this period. At the time, he was primarily producing portraits, which were highly lucrative.

Rembrandt was in high demand at that stage of his career and spent his wealth faster than he made it -- why not? As he aged and was no longer the painterly flavour of the day he careened into bankruptcy and disrepute. Yet he produced another extraordinary work, The Return of the Prodigal Son, as he neared the end of his life. The late theologian and priest, Henri Nouwen offered:

Rembrandt is as much the elder son of the parable as he is the younger. When, during the last years of his life, he painted both sons in Return of the Prodigal Son, he had lived a life in which neither the lostness of the younger son nor the lostness of the elder son was alien to him. Both needed healing and forgiveness. Both needed to come home. Both needed the embrace of a forgiving father. But from the story itself, as well as from Rembrandt's painting, it is clear that the hardest conversion to go through is the conversion of the one who stayed home

I would encourage you to snoop around in your New Testament and read the rest of the story of Zecharia. And while you're at it, turn to chapter 15 of Luke for the Prodigal Son.  It's interesting that these two biblical paintings are from stories told exclusively in gospel of Luke. Hmm...who will unravel this mystery?...

The Fleeting Glory of a Lunar Eclipse

 

This photograph illustrates the various phases of a total eclipse, as seen on September 7, 2025.  (Annegret Hilse/Reuters)

The heavens are telling the glory of God,
    and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
    and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
    their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth
    and their words to the end of the world.

                       Psalm 19: 1-4 NRSVue 

Two mornings ago we watched the lunar eclipse between 5AM and 6AM, standing outside, intermittently, in the cold and the dark. Dare I admit that we didn't set an alarm for this event, we regularly awaken at this ungodly hour! 

We couldn't see the "blood moon" phase but we did watch the progression of Earth's shadow creep across the face the face of our natural satellite. I could see the pockmarks on the Moon's surface with my binoculars. We weren't awestruck, nor did we bow down in fear and wonder (too early in the morning), but we both thought the sight was pretty cool. Yesterday I wrote about the wonders of Creation here on Earth but this was a taste of venturing out into the universe. There is a theory that the  moon was once a part of the Earth, flung away from the outer layers of our planet. Another plausibe theory is that it's made of cheese. 

I've seen in the past week that two churches in the British Isles have followed the lead of others to display images from our solar system within their buildings. On the Isle of Man 11,000 showed up to see Mars: From the Imagination to Science by Luke Jerum over the course of a month. 

The same artist will be displaying  a large-scale installation depicting the sun at Grimsby Minster in North East Lincolnshire for four weeks.more than 400,000 high-resolution photographs of the sun's surface and observational data from Nasa. While I imagine these installations are quite  impressive there is something about viewing the skies not-up-close-and-personal that is truly awesome, as many of us experienced with the solar eclipse two years ago. 

On this Sun-ny day in Southern Ontario we can give the Creator the glory and perhaps ponder the night sky as well. 

Deep peace of the running wave to you.

              Deep peace of the flowing air to you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you

              Deep peace of the shining stars to you

Deep peace of the gentle night to you

              Moon and stars pour their healing light on you

                             Deep peace of Christ, the light of the world to you.

World Wildlife Day & Celebrating Creation

 

Finding ourselves in a world of beauty and mystery,

   of living things, diverse and interdependent,

   of complex patterns of growth and evolution,

   of subatomic particles and cosmic swirls,

we sing of God the Creator,

the Maker and Source of all that is.

 Each part of creation reveals unique aspects of God the Creator,

   who is both in creation and beyond it.

All parts of creation, animate and inanimate, are related.

All creation is good.

We sing of the Creator,

   who made humans to live and move

   and have their being in God.

In and with God,

   we can direct our lives toward right relationship

   with each other and with God.

We can discover our place as one strand in the web of life.

from A Song of Faith, United Church of Canada Creed

Two mornings ago I was at the Frink Conservation Area fairly early and between the hour and the cold (-15C) I had the place entirely to myself, at least in terms of humans. It was sunny and tranquil except for birdsong as I made my way to the Moira River. I trained my binoculars on the eagles nest on the far side and to my delight the pair of them were visible, head and shoulders, until one of them bobbed out of sight.I was bouyed by seeing them for the rest of the day although I was also happy to view the variety of birds at our feeders. Last week we walked at Presqu'ille Provincial Park and on the road out we came upon four deer feeding on cedar. One of them stood up on its haunches to get some tasty morsels. Again, a gift.

Yesterday was World Wildlife Day and it got me thinking about the importance of appreciating Creation and Creator. Unfortunately, the loss of biodiversity and habitat due to human activity as well as the effects of climate change mean that the astonishing abundance of our planet, unique in the solar system, are diminishing rapidly, and bird species are highly vulnerable. We have become an urban species so the wonders of the natural world are less accessible to billions and while eco-tourism is on the rise it is a privilege of the realitvely wealthy. 

As I read through the psalms on a day-to-day basis I'm struck by how often abundance and diversity are celebrated as gifts from the Creator. And humans are warned against hubris, which I assume includes a President who dismantles environmental laws and, yes, a Prime Minster who seems to be losing the narrative on what the United Church describes as "living with respect in Creation" in one of its creeds. 

Only four years ago our Canadian government set an important target for conservation of federal land declaring:

The federal government has set the goal of conserving 30 percent of Canada’s land and water by 2030, because science shows that nature needs our help in order to reverse the decline in biodiversity, better fight climate change, and maintain a strong, sustainable economy.

This is a laudable goal -- one of the best initiatives of the Trudeau era --  recognizing that "economy" and "ecology" share the root word for "home". Yet we likely won't meet it. We can still aspire to it as a nation and pray for it as followers of an earthy Christ. 

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
    the world, and those who live in it,
2 for he has founded it on the seas
    and established it on the rivers.

                                 Psalm 24: 1-2 NRSVue

It's a Small World After All

It 's a world of laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all

It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world

 [God] shall judge between the nations
    and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation;
    neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob,
    come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord!

Isaiah 2:4-5 NRSVue

Again this year we will travel to Newfoundland and a house on Change Islands adjacent to Fogom loaned to us by a kind friend . He is a Newfoundlander by birth but he flew for Emirates Airlines for years and has now retired in Dubai. He spends about a quarter to a third of the year on Change Islands and we fit around his schedule. We reached out to him when Iran retaliated against US and Israeli attacks, including with drone strikes in Dubai. He assured us that he was safe but he's heard the explosions. We hadn't been aware that Dubai was so close to Iran, one of the leading proponents of international terror. 

A couple of years ago we nervously stayed in touch with Ruth's sister and brother-in-law who were still living in Israel. After the October 7 2023 attacks by Hamas and Israel's destructive response they were vigilant in paying attention to alerts about incoming missiles. One Sunday morning as they left church they saw Israeli missiles intercepting Hamas rockets in the sky to the southwest. When they moved to the States it took time to address their constant anxiety from that time. 

It's hard for us to grasp that we know people who have dealt with these sorts of threats as we live in the relative security in Canada.

 We were also part of sponsorship for Syrian refugees who fled their country because of threats to their safety and there are Ukrainians who fled their country living in our community. 

 Yet this is the reality for so many -- untold millions -- and there are no guarantees of safety as geopolitical realities can change in a heartbeat. How do we sort through the endless barrage of information? 

While the lyrics above are from a corny Disney song they are surprisingly apt for the time in which we live. We now know within minutes about situations that are grim and seemingly insurmountable. It makes the world smaller and scarier. 

I'm grateful that we are part of a faith community that upholds those who suffering around the world every Sunday morning. We ask for peace in the Middle East even though it seems almost impossible. We want solutions that don't involve the deaths of innocent people and the sickening expenditures of wars that we're told aren't really wars. 

We are often invited to respond with financial support by the United Church in situations of dire need. An aspect of our gratitude as Christians is to act with compassion and concern. We aren't helpless or hopeless even when circumstances seem dire. We choose to walk in God's light.