“Gathering God, draw us out beyond our cramped circles of care. Draw us toward the neighbor, the other, the outsider, the hurting one. May we practice compassion. Amen.”

― Walter Brueggemann, A Way other than Our Own

Canada among Western nations calling for reopening of medical corridor between Gaza, West Bank

Dozens of Western nations called on Monday for the reopening of the medical corridor between Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, offering to provide financial aid and medical staff or equipment to treat Gaza's patients there. "We strongly appeal to Israel to restore the medical corridor to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, so medical evacuations from Gaza can be resumed and patients can get the treatment that they so urgently need on Palestinian territory," the countries said in a joint statement released by Canada. Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the European Union and Poland were among the two dozen signatories of the statement. The United States was not listed as a signatory. "We furthermore urge Israel to lift restrictions on deliveries of medicine and medical equipment to Gaza," the statement said. There was no immediate reaction from Israel. In the past, Israel has rebuffed calls to allow Palestinians to receive medical care in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, most recently during a meeting this month between Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and his Danish counterpart. At the time, Saar cited "security concerns."

While we pray for the end of the conflict, we can lose sight of those at the center of the violence. For those desperate for medicines, for surgeries, for bedrest, and for nutritious food, we pray. Strengthen our convictions and empower our hands and feet to heal the sick, O Lord.

Trump and Netanyahu to Hamas: accept Gaza peace plan or face consequences

U.S. President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, have delivered an ultimatum to Hamas, warning the militant group to accept their 20-point peace plan for Gaza or face the consequences. The two leaders met at the White House in Washington on Monday then held a joint press briefing in which they hailed their proposal as a historic breakthrough and new chapter for the Middle East. It was clear that Hamas had not been consulted and its position on the terms remained uncertain. Mahmoud Mardawi, a Hamas official, said the group had not even received the plan, the Reuters news agency reported. It was later briefed that Qatari and Egyptian mediators met with Hamas on Monday evening to provide the group with the peace plan. Both Trump and Netanyahu made clear that they were not offering Hamas a choice in the matter. If the group refused, Trump told reporters, “Israel would have my full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas.

God, in reading and listening to this ultimatum, we fear the violence that might come next. We pray fervently for an end to the war, for the release of hostages and prisoners, and for a long-term solution to this conflict.

Nine people dead and scores injured over weekend of mass US shootings

Six separate mass shootings this past week have underscored the continuing US crisis of gun violence. Sunday’s mass murder at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, which left at least four worshippers dead and eight wounded, was just one of six mass shootings that erupted across the US over a weekend of gun horror. The Gun Violence Archive, an online non-profit database which records mass shootings in America, added six fresh incidents over Saturday and Sunday. The concentrated bloodletting, spread out across four states, took the lives of nine people, including the suspect in Sunday’s shooting at Grand Blanc’s  church, as well as injuring at least 33. The weekend’s spate brings the archive’s tally of mass shootings – defined as events with at least four victims injured or killed, not counting the shooter – to 324 this year alone, as of Monday morning. That is a rate of more than one a day.

We echo the prayers of our siblings in Christ from the Roman Catholic Diosece of San Angelo, Texas - 

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

we come to you burdened and grieved

by the evil and destruction of gun violence,

entrusting to your mercy

each victim of this horrific crime.

Father of mercies and God of all consolation,

who console us in our every affliction,

comfort the families and friends of each victim,

give solace to grieving communities,

and bring peace to anxious hearts.

O God, who show a father’s care for all,

pour out your gracious blessing

on police, medical personnel, leaders,

and all who are your ministers of mercy,

bringing them healing and peace in the face of this tragedy.

$625 million to be spent to revive dying U.S. coal industry

The White House will open 13.1 million acres of public land to coal mining while providing $625 million for coal-fired power plants, the Trump administration has announced. The efforts came as part of a suite of initiatives from the Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, and Environmental Protection Agency, aimed at reviving the flagging coal sector. Coal, the most polluting and costly fossil fuel, has been on a rapid decline over the past 30 years, with the US halving its production between 2008 and 2023, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Coal plants provided about 15% of US electricity in 2024 – a steep fall from 50% in 2000 – the EIA found, with the growth of gas and green power displacing its use. Last year, wind and solar produced more electricity than coal in the US for the first time in history, according to the International Energy Agency, which predicts that could happen at the global level by the end of 2026. Despite its dwindling role, Trump has made reviving the coal sector a priority of his second term amid increasing energy demand due to the proliferation of artificial intelligence data centers. Every data point, every research study, every reputable scientist tells us that we must swiftly and unequivocally cease our usage of fossil fuels, including and especially coal. This decision reflects a vision for past that no longer exists. 

Lord, we pray that the business community might reject these incentives to return to coal-fired power, increase their commitments to clean energy, and look towards a future of solar and wind that results in greater care for your creation. 

Becoming (part of) the Answer to our Own Prayers

Join World Renew in calling for global action to halt starvation crisis in Gaza

World Renew, as a global organization with over 60 years of experience in food security and humanitarian response across more than 30 countries, and as a member of ACT Alliance, joins with more than 100 partner organizations to sound the alarm about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We call for immediate and decisive action to prevent mass starvation and further suffering. Read their full statements here (US, Canada), and take action by using their link to contact government officials yourself with a message to stop famine and save lives.