Michael Swan

I Believe Good Things Will Happen - Henri Nouwen Just imagine what Mary was actually saying in the words to the angel Gabriel, “I am the handmaid of the

Just imagine what Mary was actually saying in the words to the angel Gabriel, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let what you have said be done to me” (Luke 1:38, JB). henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

A few shots from a walk in the park – Taylor Creek Park in Toronto.

'Twas ever thus.

The Aid of a Spiritual Companion - Henri Nouwen When seeking spiritual guidance, we are susceptible to a superficial search for easy answers and shallow meaning. Living into a

The best guides are willing to be silent yet present, and are comfortable with unknowing. God’s Spirit is ultimately the sole source of spiritual guidance, comfort, and knowing. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

Your Life as a Quest - Henri Nouwen Sometimes we feel so much fear and anxiety, and identify so closely with our suffering, that our pain masks the

The first task of seeking guidance then is to touch your own struggles, doubts, and insecurities – in short, to affirm your life as a quest. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

Paris exhibition: Treasures Saved From Gaza | ICN On October 16th, ICN published a letter from Emek Shaveh - an Israeli NGO working to prevent the politicization of archaeology in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in partnership with ex...

Historically, Gaza was situated at the frontier between Asia and Africa, at the crossroads of cultures since Neolithic times. It was an oasis, a haven before the inhospitable desert, a seat of learning & an affluent trading centre on routes... coveted by many. www.indcatholicnews.com/news/53821

Embracing All of Humanity - Henri Nouwen We are sent into this world to be people of reconciliation. We are sent to teach and heal, to break

We are sent to teach and heal, to break down walls that divide people into different categories of value. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

The god of Trump, and the god of those Christians pledged to recover the old hegemony they once treasured, is a god we should all fear.

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Dwelling in the Presence - Henri Nouwen If there is any focus that the Christian leader of the future will need, it is the discipline of dwelling

Through contemplative prayer we can keep ourselves from being pulled from one urgent issue to another and from becoming strangers to our own and God’s heart. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

Opening a Whole New World - Henri Nouwen I want to leave you that very deep word that Jesus says about death: “It is for your good that

Preparing ourselves for our death, helping others prepare themselves for theirs, means we realize that our spirits and theirs will touch generations yet to come. Yes, we have to die with Christ, but we will be raised with Christ so as to send the Spirit of Christ. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

Former Popemobile unveiled as mobile clinic for Gaza's children | ICN Caritas today unveiled 'Vehicle of Hope,' the former Popemobile transformed into a mobile pediatric clinic designed to reach Ga...

The Vehicle of Hope comes at a moment of extreme humanitarian crisis. UN agencies estimate more than 20,000 children have been killed... while tens of thousands more suffer from injuries, preventable diseases, malnutrition and severe psychological trauma. www.indcatholicnews.com/news/53785

God’s Solidarity - Henri Nouwen God loves us so much that he does not simply take our suffering away; he suffers with us. If we

If we understand God’s solidarity, if we see God as the One who did not cling to power but gave it up, who did not cling to the ability to solve everyone’s problems, we have the mind of Jesus Christ. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

Bishop Arnold: Statement on the closing of COP30 | ICN Bishop John Arnold, Bishop of Salford and Lead Bishop for the Environment for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW), has issued the following statement following the conclusion...

"The time has passed for scepticism or delay on climate change. We are already seeing its effects in this country and around the world - and they will only worsen. " www.indcatholicnews.com/news/53775

Not Comparing - Henri Nouwen To come to that inner place of not judging in the face of the enormous variety of human experience and

To overcome that constant need to determine my comparative place, and to be simply who I am, can make me whole. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

Nostalgia for some gauzy past situated vaguely between the 16th and 18th centuries has not brought about a more vital or realistic church, in Hall’s view. api.neonemails.com/emails/conte...

Church steps forward at COP30 to demand climate justice- UCA News Catholic Church leaders at COP30 call for climate justice, ecological responsibility, and stronger funding for vulnerable nations as global negotiations face key disputes.

“We are called to walk with communities facing floods, droughts, and displacement, ensuring their stories shape global decisions.” www.ucanews.com/news/church-...

How to Perceive the World - Henri Nouwen Spiritually we are in God, in the Lord, at home in God. Our true identity is that we are God’s

We are called to see the world as God sees it; that is what theology is all about. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

For the first time, a Catholic diocese in Canada has announced its divestmen. Its decision is especially significant as Canada – with the US, Australia and Norway – is among those most responsible for fossil fuel expansion since the Paris Agreement. laudatosimovement.org/news/62-fait...

The Power of Remembering - Henri Nouwen When we “remember” God, we are touching the divine nature within our very souls. For God knows us from eternity

We remember God as love and ourselves as God’s beloved. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

Sudan and South Sudan's Bishops appeal for urgent action amid massive humanitarian crises | ICN The Bishops of Sudan and South Sudan say they are overwhelmed by the escalating violence and the appalling human conditions resulting from ongoing conflicts in both countries.The Bishops' Pastoral Sta...

"Governments and opposition groups... lack respect for human dignity; they are harmful to the core & maliciously selfish. Meanwhile, our land is rich in resources, which are misappropriated... while the common people suffer in abject poverty," www.indcatholicnews.com/news/53716

Confession and Peacemaking - Henri Nouwen Nobody can escape the agonizing losses that are part of our everyday existence – the loss of our dreams. We

It is this loss of spirit that is often hardest to acknowledge and most difficult to confess. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

Compassion Grows a New World - Henri Nouwen As disciples of Jesus, we are sent to wherever there is poverty, loneliness, suffering of any kind. We are given

We can trust by entering into places of pain, we will find the joy of Jesus. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

Ian Linden: The Pope and the Lords of Silicon Valley | ICN Much has been made of Pope Leo's time in Peru and his closeness to the late Pope Francis from Argentina. Being first American Pope has been no less newsworthy. But his impact on the USA is proving mor...

... outcome of original industrial revolution was a dominant land-owning class had to come to terms with power of new industrialists & entrepreneurs... today's tech revolution has given a new oligarchy spectacularly greater wealth & unaccountable political power. www.indcatholicnews.com/news/53700

To Pray is to Live - Henri Nouwen Maybe someone will say to you, “You have to forgive yourself.” But that isn’t possible. What is possible is to

Praying then becomes effortless, inspired and lively, or peaceful and quiet. When you recognize the festive and the still moments as moments of prayer, then you gradually realize that to pray is to live.
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May ecological conversion inspire development of a new, human-centred international financial architecture that ensures all countries... the poorest & most vulnerable to climate... see the dignity of citizens respected ...ink between ecological debt and foreign debt.

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US Bishops issue 'Special Message' on Immigration | ICN As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) gathered for their Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, today, 12 November, they issued a Special Message addressing their concern for the ev...

We feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defence of God-given human dignity. Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognise the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants. www.indcatholicnews.com/news/53687

Joy Remains - Henri Nouwen What we have to start sensing is that in the spiritual life, joy is embracing sorrow and happiness, pain and

If there is anything the church wants to teach us it is that the joy of God can be with us always – in moments of sickness, in moments of health, in moments of success, in moments of failure, in moments of birth, in moments of death. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

All is Grace - Henri Nouwen All is grace. Light and water, shelter and food, work and free time, children, parents, and grandparents, birth and death

Our very first vocation is to receive these gifts and say thanks. henrinouwen.org/meditations/...

Opinion: The big lie behind Donald Trump’s boat strikes Despite fentanyl’s origin story, the President needs Americans to believe the addiction crisis is an attack from outside

Lies work because they shift blame. Holding other countries responsible for the opioid crisis is an attractive form of moral outsourcing for Americans. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Nossa Senhora Aparacida in the morning light.