In our country, there is a phrase that people repeat to express their objection to poverty, for example, or to a bitter reality… they would say, pardon me: “this is a dog’s life”! This phrase was turned, by some…, into reality. Who among you was able to watch the video report presented by "Al Mayadeen ...

After the Sunday Liturgy, a young man invited me to have a cup of coffee in the church hall. Explaining his invitation, he said: "perhaps some of the brethren would like someone to answer some questions they have". This is what happened. I spoke to them a little bit about commitment to God in a ...

Here, I made the acquaintance of Fr. Mark-Arsenios Wyatt. Our first meeting was on the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. The man is Canadian. He was raised ecclesiastically under Fr. Maximos Saikali who counseled him to study theology at St. John of Damascus Institute, in Balamand (Northern Lebanon). Besides studying, Fr. Mark was ...

Yesterday morning, I was disheartened by a man I saw looking for something to eat in a dumpster here in Laval City, Canada. He saw me looking at him. He put back the lid on the bin, and walked away. Poverty has no city! I communicated this wound to our home. Samar, my daughter-in-law, told ...

In my house, a malfunction in accessing the television network had helped me abstain since months, from local news, political programs, and others. This is an abstention that I sometimes decide on my own. There is nothing to lose! When I want, I am compensated for this abstention by receiving news websites on my phone. ...

Today, I went out to walk alone. I have become familiar with the roads that are close to the house, back and forth. I do not use the well-known application that helps people navigate the world. I use my eyes to memorize the landmarks or for the sake of enjoyment, or I take a few ...

Last Monday, my two eldest grandchildren asked to go to the movies with their aunt the night before she was to return to her university in France. My granddaughter suggested they watch the Barbie movie, which is being shown in cinemas here in Quebec. Her mother refused. It struck me that, in her refusal, she ...

I have met many people from our country who had left to come here. It struck me from the conversations we had that there are people from among our own who have forsaken the connection with their heritage. If you let the world strip you of yourself, it will not keep you well, but rather ...

I thought I was talking to my granddaughter about something that would make her happy. I told her, "is it not great that we get to spend fifty days together?". I did not expect her reaction. She immediately put her hands over her ears, refusing to hear, and raised her voice and said: "do not ...

To this day, I have prayed here, in an expanse I am visiting, in three churches that are affiliated to our diocese in North America. It is such a precious tradition that we make a pilgrimage to the local saints in whatever city we happen to be in. I have been told about churches here ...